Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Legal counsel salary
Average legal counsel salary
$132,867
Average Legal Counsel Salary
The average salary for a legal counsel in the United States is approximately $132,867 annually, translating to about $64 per hour. This salary can differ based on several critical factors, including experience, geographic location, and the specific sector of law practiced. For instance, legal counsels in corporate settings may command higher salaries than those in public service roles.
How Salaries Vary
Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned legal counsels with extensive expertise can earn significantly more. Additionally, the highest paying states for legal counsels include areas with a high demand for legal services, such as California and New York. Understanding these nuances can help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths.
Exploring Opportunities
For those looking to enhance their earning potential, pursuing roles in specialized areas of law or seeking employment with larger firms can be beneficial. Many legal counsels also find opportunities to increase their salaries through ongoing education and certifications.
Let Zippi find your next legal counsel job
Let Zippi find your next legal counsel job
Where can a Legal Counsel earn more?
Legal counsel salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level legal counsel | $77,100 | $37.07 |
| Mid-level legal counsel | $93,100 | $44.74 |
| Senior-level legal counsel | $195,000 | $93.84 |
Legal counsel salary estimates from across the web
Average legal counsel salary by state
The highest-paying states for legal counsels are California, New York, and Connecticut. The lowest average legal counsel salary states are Louisiana, Kansas, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for legal counsels
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $144,086 | $69.27 |
| 2 | New York | $132,575 | $63.74 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $125,726 | $60.45 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $137,442 | $66.08 |
| 5 | Colorado | $125,186 | $60.19 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $130,945 | $62.95 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $127,077 | $61.09 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $123,552 | $59.40 |
| 9 | Illinois | $123,226 | $59.24 |
| 10 | Washington | $121,448 | $58.39 |
| 11 | Virginia | $126,100 | $60.63 |
| 12 | Michigan | $111,986 | $53.84 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $111,890 | $53.79 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $121,984 | $58.65 |
| 15 | Nevada | $115,377 | $55.47 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $118,005 | $56.73 |
| 17 | Vermont | $114,093 | $54.85 |
| 18 | Utah | $107,305 | $51.59 |
| 19 | Georgia | $109,671 | $52.73 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $109,379 | $52.59 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $111,090 | $53.41 |
| 22 | Texas | $107,639 | $51.75 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $106,778 | $51.34 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $109,575 | $52.68 |
| 25 | Iowa | $110,520 | $53.13 |
| 26 | Arizona | $104,694 | $50.33 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $100,091 | $48.12 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $107,192 | $51.53 |
| 29 | Oregon | $101,870 | $48.98 |
| 30 | Delaware | $99,488 | $47.83 |
| 31 | Maine | $108,482 | $52.15 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $97,588 | $46.92 |
| 33 | Florida | $90,945 | $43.72 |
| 34 | Alaska | $94,585 | $45.47 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $96,322 | $46.31 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $94,863 | $45.61 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $95,647 | $45.98 |
| 38 | Ohio | $91,727 | $44.10 |
| 39 | Missouri | $92,093 | $44.28 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $93,013 | $44.72 |
| 41 | Alabama | $93,161 | $44.79 |
| 42 | Maryland | $93,765 | $45.08 |
| 43 | Idaho | $91,109 | $43.80 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $92,723 | $44.58 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $77,735 | $37.37 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $74,322 | $35.73 |
| 47 | Kansas | $86,052 | $41.37 |
| 48 | Indiana | $85,605 | $41.16 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $88,513 | $42.55 |
| 50 | Montana | $69,132 | $33.24 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $86,367 | $41.52 |
Highest paying cities for legal counsels
The highest-paying cities for legal counsels are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $152,542 | $73.34 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $139,878 | $67.25 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $134,320 | $64.58 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $128,208 | $61.64 |
| 5 | McLean, VA | $128,098 | $61.59 |
| 6 | Boulder, CO | $126,133 | $60.64 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $124,454 | $59.83 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $124,319 | $59.77 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $122,235 | $58.77 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $112,338 | $54.01 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $110,621 | $53.18 |
| 12 | Des Moines, IA | $110,221 | $52.99 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $109,711 | $52.75 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $109,631 | $52.71 |
| 15 | Raleigh, NC | $107,439 | $51.65 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $107,043 | $51.46 |
| 17 | Phoenix, AZ | $105,339 | $50.64 |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $100,984 | $48.55 |
| 19 | Madison, WI | $97,405 | $46.83 |
| 20 | Lincoln, NE | $94,739 | $45.55 |
Legal counsel salary details
A legal counsel's salary ranges from $81,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $216,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a legal counsel's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $216,000 | $18,000 | $104 |
| 75th Percentile | $171,000 | $14,250 | $82 |
| Average | $132,867 | $11,072 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
Highest paying legal counsel jobs
The highest paying types of legal counsels are corporate counsel, assistant general counsel, and associate counsel.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Attorney | $110,028 | $9,169 | $52.90 | 75,402 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| Lawyer | $115,808 | $9,651 | $55.68 | 2,897 |
| Contract Attorney | $97,474 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 13,592 |
| Legal Extern | $47,238 | $3,937 | $22.71 | 10,986 |
Top companies hiring legal counsels now:
Which companies pay legal counsels the most?
Legal counsel salaries at Apple and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average legal counsel salary at companies like Dechert and eBay are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $202,902 | $97.55 |
| 2 | PayPal | $201,564 | $96.91 |
| 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 |
| 7 | Gillette | $187,053 | $89.93 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $186,629 | $89.73 |
| 9 | Intuitive Surgical | $185,929 | $89.39 |
| 10 | Cytokinetics | $185,350 | $89.11 |
| 11 | Palo Alto Networks | $185,344 | $89.11 |
| 12 | Amazon | $183,696 | $88.32 |
| 13 | RH | $182,472 | $87.73 |
| 14 | Workday | $182,350 | $87.67 |
| 15 | Squarespace | $180,984 | $87.01 |
| 16 | $180,824 | $86.93 | |
| 17 | Pandora | $177,725 | $85.44 |
| 18 | Fortinet | $177,010 | $85.10 |
| 19 | Palantir | $176,917 | $85.06 |
| 20 | Fundbox | $175,523 | $84.39 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Legal Counsel salary by industry
The average legal counsel salary varies across industries:
- The average legal counsel salary in the technology industry is $159,575, the highest of any industry.
- The average legal counsel salary in the finance industry is $145,530.
- Legal counsels in the government industry earn an average salary of $105,248, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for legal counsels
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $159,575 | $76.72 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $145,530 | $69.97 |
| 3 | Professional | $144,336 | $69.39 |
| 4 | Finance | $126,857 | $60.99 |
| 5 | Government | $105,248 | $50.60 |
High paying legal counsel jobs
Legal counsel salary trends
The average legal counsel salary has risen by $14,257 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average legal counsel earned $118,610 annually, but today, they earn $132,867 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for legal counsels over the last decade.
Compare legal counsel salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average legal counsel salary over time
Compare legal counsel salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Legal counsel salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $63.88 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $129,000 | $61.88 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $127,000 | $60.85 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $125,000 | $60.01 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $124,000 | $59.46 | +2.0% |
Recently added legal counsel salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow Electronics | Public Sector Legal Counsel | Enon, VA | 06/30/2025 | $107,900 |
| Bloomenergy | Director, Legal Counsel-Manufacturing & Procurement | Newark, DE | 06/30/2025 | $156,600 |
| Blue Origin | SR. Legal Counsel, Labor & Employment | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $177,567 |
| Clackamas County, or | Assistant Legal Counsel (Employment & Labor LAW) | Oregon City, OR | 06/30/2025 | $124,911 |
| Alixpartners | Senior Legal Counsel-Corporate M&A | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| State of Ohio | Legal Counsel | Columbus, OH | 06/29/2025 | $91,828 |
| AEG | Director, Legal Counsel-AXS | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $141,090 |
| Mass | Assistant Legal Counsel | Rowe, MA | 06/29/2025 | $111,215 |
| Databricks | Legal Counsel, Privacy | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $184,700 |
| Databricks | Legal Counsel, Privacy | Mountain View, CA | 06/29/2025 | $184,700 |
Search for legal counsel jobs