How to hire a legal counsel

How to hire a legal counsel, step by step

Here's a step-by-step legal counsel 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 counsel job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new legal counsel
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a legal counsel do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your legal counsel job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a legal counsel for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 counsel 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 counsel that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Legal Counsel	Description	Hourly rate
   Legal Counsel	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$38-103
   Staff Attorney	Staff Attorneys are legal employees who work for a variety of organizations, often as full-time employees. They use their legal expertise to help deal with day-to-day legal issues with which their organization needs regular assistance.	$33-83
   Attorney	Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense... Show more	$33-82

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Legal Advice
   • Legal Issues
   • Litigation
   • Legal Support
   • Intellectual Property
   • Legal Risks
   • Legal Research
   • In-House Counsel
   • Ethics
   • Risk Management
   • Internal Clients
   • Human Resources
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • HIPAA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve statewide recognition as expert on Medicare and Medicaid.
   • Manage high-risk employee terminations from initial decision through preparation for appeals hearings and any subsequent legal action.
   • Assist in liaising with insurance authorities, responding to regulatory inquiries and managing relationship with region from legal and business perspective.
   • Conduct anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) due diligence on a daily basis.
   • Ensure compliance with federal securities laws, NYSE rules, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
   • Draft position statements for EEO and other regulatory claims.

   More legal counsel duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, legal counsels' average salary in montana is 52% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level legal counsels 63% less than senior-level legal counsels.
   • Certifications. A legal counsel 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 counsel's salary.

   Average legal counsel salary

   $132,867yearly

   $63.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level legal counsel salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average legal counsel salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$152,542	$73
   2	District of Columbia	$139,878	$67
   3	New York	$134,320	$65
   4	New Jersey	$128,208	$62
   5	Virginia	$128,098	$62
   6	Colorado	$126,133	$61
   7	Illinois	$124,454	$60
   8	Massachusetts	$124,319	$60
   9	Washington	$122,235	$59
   10	Minnesota	$112,338	$54
   11	Georgia	$110,621	$53
   12	Iowa	$110,221	$53
   13	Pennsylvania	$109,711	$53
   14	Texas	$109,631	$53
   15	North Carolina	$107,439	$52
   16	Utah	$107,043	$51
   17	Arizona	$105,339	$51
   18	Oregon	$100,984	$49
   19	Wisconsin	$97,405	$47
   20	Nebraska	$94,739	$46

   Average legal counsel salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$202,902	$97.55	16
   2	PayPal	$201,564	$96.91	24
   3	Dechert	$194,809	$93.66
   4	eBay	$193,389	$92.98
   5	Squire Patton Boggs	$192,411	$92.51
   6	Enbridge	$191,321	$91.98	1
   7	Gillette	$187,053	$89.93
   8	Bloomberg	$186,629	$89.73	3
   9	Intuitive Surgical	$185,929	$89.39	1
   10	Cytokinetics	$185,350	$89.11
   11	Palo Alto Networks	$185,344	$89.11
   12	Amazon	$183,696	$88.32	88
   13	RH	$182,472	$87.73
   14	Workday	$182,350	$87.67
   15	Squarespace	$180,984	$87.01
   16	Twitter	$180,824	$86.93
   17	Pandora	$177,725	$85.44	1
   18	Fortinet	$177,010	$85.10
   19	Palantir	$176,917	$85.06	9
   20	Fundbox	$175,523	$84.39

4. Writing a legal counsel job description

   A job description for a legal counsel role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a legal counsel job description:

   Legal counsel job description example

   TransUnion's Job Applicant Privacy Notice
   
   What We'll Bring:
   At TransUnion, we have a welcoming and energetic environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. We are consistently exploring new technologies and tools to be agile. This environment gives our people the opportunity to hone current skills and build new capabilities, while discovering their genius.
   
   Come be a part of our team - you'll work with great people, pioneering products and cutting-edge technology.
   
   Protecting the health and wellness of our associates and candidates considering a career at TransUnion is our highest priority. In supporting this vision, our recruitment and new hire experience for this role is fully virtual for the time being. Candidates interviewing will get to know our team over the phone and video, and this role will operate virtually upon hire until we return to the office. Even though we're not physically together right now, our goal is to provide you a supportive candidate and new hire experience that will immerse you in our culture and set you up for success at TransUnion.
   
   What You'll Bring:
   Juris Doctorate (JD) degree with 1 to 3 years of experience as an attorney interpreting, negotiating, and drafting complex contracts and related documents.Strong work ethic with the demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands and accomplish assignments in a timely and independent manner Highly responsive, excellent interpersonal skills, high emotional intelligence (EQ), and service-oriented attitude The ability to build relationships with peers and leadership on all levels of the organization through excellent interpersonal and verbal/written communication skills True team player; willing to jump in as needed Experience supporting a commercial sales team or product/solutions team, particularly in big data Knowledge and understanding of telecommunication laws Knowledge and understanding of U.S. privacy law, FCRA, GLBA, CCPA, intellectual property licensing, and technology Experience and understanding of fair lending laws and disparate impact Experience working with clients operating in regulated industries such as telecommunications, insurance, background screening, or financial services
   
   Impact You'll Make:
   Under moderate oversight of other senior legal members, provide legal assistance and guidance regarding ongoing legal and business matters for TransUnion, particularly in:Support of TransUnion Telecommunications customers in their consumer acquisition efforts including complex contracting, product/solution support, partnerships, and review of TransUnion marketing materials.Support product development/enhancements for telecommunications solutions Supplemental support in TransUnion's racial equity projects Responsibility for reviewing, negotiating, and drafting complex commercial agreements including master services agreements, product addenda, marketing and referral agreements, partnership agreements, and data licensing agreements.Work collaboratively with internal cross-functional teams including sales/business development, compliance, information security, information technology, operations, and product development.Provide proactive legal counsel to stakeholders, including TransUnion management, in support of the foregoing.Make impactful legal decisions and business recommendations for an innovative, dynamic, public information-services company.Advise internal clients on legal and business issues and the implications of alternative positions to enable informed business decisions.Provide advice to stakeholders regarding changes in the law, contracts, or other legal issues that may involve the company's short or long-term strategic operation
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability status, veteran status, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.
   
   TransUnion's Internal Job Title:
   Counsel, Legal

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right legal counsel 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 counsel job on Zippia to find and recruit legal counsel candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit legal counsels, 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 counsel

   Once you've selected the best legal counsel 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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 counsel?