How to hire a legal compliance officer

How to hire a legal compliance officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step legal compliance officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a legal compliance officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new legal compliance officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a legal compliance officer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the legal compliance officer you need to hire. Certain legal compliance officer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a legal compliance officer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a legal compliance officer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of legal compliance officers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Legal Compliance Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Legal Compliance Officer	The main duty of a Legal Compliance Officer is to ensure that a company is managed legally and ethically. They must guarantee that businesses are conducted in full compliance with all national and international laws.	$25-77
   Manager, Quality Management, Corporate Compliance	Depending on the industry, there are a lot of functions you need to comply with if you want to become a manager of quality management and corporate compliance. Commonly seen in banks, manufacturing, processing, automotive, and textile companies, this job position is responsible for monitoring, implementing, and oversees the quality of a product... Show more	$35-71
   Legal Counsel	A Legal Counsel supervises the legal aspects of a business. They give accurate and timely counsel to executives on a variety of legal topics, such as labor law, partnerships, or international ventures.	$38-103

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Risk Management
   • Litigation
   • Legal Compliance
   • AML
   • Legal Issues
   • Legal Research
   • Legal Advice
   • Compliance Program
   • Ethics
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • BSA
   • Compliance Issues
   • Securities
   • Intellectual Property

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage outside counsel in litigation matters and coordinate internal requirements in connection with litigation.
   • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
   • Review and respond to subpoenas.
   • Provide ethics training and counsel to mission employees.
   • Act in a professional manner with integrity, according to the legal code of ethics of Puerto Rico.
   • Direct the ship's legal activity, including delivery of subpoenas relate to both judicial and non-judicial proceedings.

   More legal compliance officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your legal compliance officer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A legal compliance officer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, legal compliance officers' average salary in arkansas is 57% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level legal compliance officers 68% less than senior-level legal compliance officers.
   • Certifications. A legal compliance officer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a legal compliance officer's salary.

   Average legal compliance officer salary

   $91,936yearly

   $44.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level legal compliance officer salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average legal compliance officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$128,948	$62
   2	Connecticut	$120,647	$58
   3	California	$111,696	$54
   4	District of Columbia	$107,859	$52
   5	Massachusetts	$107,822	$52
   6	Maryland	$97,648	$47
   7	New York	$94,658	$46
   8	Virginia	$90,945	$44
   9	Washington	$90,465	$43
   10	North Carolina	$76,653	$37
   11	Texas	$75,101	$36
   12	Utah	$70,426	$34
   13	Georgia	$69,040	$33
   14	Florida	$67,734	$33

   Average legal compliance officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	CITGO Petroleum	$147,958	$71.13
   2	Open Society Foundations	$137,014	$65.87
   3	Public Interest Communications	$135,843	$65.31
   4	Boehringer Ingelheim	$133,985	$64.42	3
   5	Evercore	$131,633	$63.29
   6	Colfax Corporation	$128,216	$61.64	2
   7	Torc Robotics	$125,499	$60.34
   8	Chain	$124,055	$59.64
   9	Morgan Stanley	$122,926	$59.10	61
   10	Southwest Key Programs	$121,508	$58.42
   11	Blackstone Group	$119,915	$57.65
   12	Oddup	$116,590	$56.05
   13	Louis Dreyfus Company	$116,590	$56.05
   14	DiversyFund	$116,590	$56.05
   15	Jobble	$116,576	$56.05
   16	Eleanor Health	$116,555	$56.04
   17	Itransition	$115,873	$55.71
   18	Africa Health Holdings Ltd	$115,362	$55.46
   19	KIND Snacks	$114,741	$55.16	5
   20	MyEyeDr	$113,581	$54.61

4. Writing a legal compliance officer job description

   A legal compliance officer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a legal compliance officer job description:

   Legal compliance officer job description example

   Job Summary::
   
   The Chief Legal Officer oversees the legal and risk departments, and advises the board of directors, Chief Executive Officer, management, and other staff of Southwest Key on matters concerning the organization and its subsidiaries with regard to risk as well as the law. The position will plan, assign, and supervise the work of the Legal and Risk Departments.
   
   #SWHQ #ZR
   
   Essential Functions::
   Oversees the review and negotiation of all Southwest Key contracts.
   Manages the bidding and maintenance of all business and workers compensation insurance policies.
   Conduct a continuing study of all legal department policies, programs, and practices to keep management informed of new developments; formulate, recommend, and review relevant policies, objectives, and procedures for the organization.
   Supervises any pending administrative claims or litigation concerning the organization.
   Monitors and reviews any work performed by outside counsel.
   Reviews and drafts legal and governance documents necessary for the organization's operations.
   Analyzes complex legal issues and conducts legal research.
   Participates in investigations and reports out on findings.
   Supervises the staff of the legal and risk departments.
   Ensures the CEO is prepared with briefing materials and/or information on key issues.
   Other Functions::
   Periodically reviews and updates the corporate documents of Southwest Key and its subsidiaries, and prepares board policies and resolutions as needed.
   Anticipates and protects against risks facing the organization.
   Develops and provides relevant training to Southwest Key staff.
   Able to react to change productively and handle other essential tasks as assigned.
   Qualifications and Requirements::
   Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from an accredited law school; must be licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas; must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of Texas. Ten years full-time experience as a licensed attorney.
   Bilingual (English and Spanish) is required.
   Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.
   Stellar research skills.
   Must be able to manage multiple priorities.
   Physical Demands::
   
   Must be able to read, write, and communicate both verbally and in written form to express and exchange ideas. While performing the responsibilities of this job, the employee must be able to access all components of work station and other office equipment. Frequent typing, reading and writing.
   
   Work Environment::
   
   General office environment with moderate noise. This position is mostly sedentary, involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. A busy environment with many unscheduled interruptions. Frequent computer use at workstation for extended periods of time. Public contact position requiring appropriate business apparel.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right legal compliance officer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your legal compliance officer job on Zippia to find and recruit legal compliance officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit legal compliance officers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new legal compliance officer

   Once you've selected the best legal compliance officer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new legal compliance officer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a legal compliance officer?