2021 In-House

Compensation
Survey Report
How much do corporate counsel really make? How do their salaries compare to those
of outside counsel? What about raises and bonuses? Is company stock a significant part
of an in-house lawyer’s compensation package?

If you’re a lawyer in a corporate legal department looking to benchmark your pay

or a law firm attorney thinking of transitioning in-house, you want a sense of the
compensation universe.

Unlike the world of Biglaw, where lockstep salaries and hours-
based bonuses are both common and relatively transparent
(or at least not that hard to find), uncovering how much in-
house lawyers make can be a trickier prospect.
To address this information gap, Above the Law has
conducted a series of surveys of in-house counsel over the
last several years. This report highlights the results of the
latest 2021 ATL In-House Compensation Survey.
More than 1,000 in-house attorneys took part in this year’s
survey, in which they were asked to provide the following
information:
• year of law school graduation
• whether or not they work in a big city (which can affect
compensation)
• company size (including six categories, from “Small Private
Company” to “Fortune 250”)
• type of work they engage in (corporate, employment,
litigation, etc.)
• base pay
• target bonus (as a percentage of base pay)
• actual bonus received for the last few years
• average raise received over the last few years
• what, if any, stock compensation they receive (as a
percentage of base pay)
Our survey respondents work at companies of varying
size and stature, from small companies with fewer than
100 employees to businesses featured in the Fortune 500.
The majority work in large cities. Many have decades of
experience while others are more recent graduates; more
than half of survey participants graduated law school
between 2007 and 2017.
Compared with the results of ATL’s last In-House
Compensation Survey, conducted in 2017, corporate counsel
are, on the whole, making more money. If the ceiling remains
hard to reach—salaries in excess of $400,000 are still
relatively few and far between—the floor has been raised.
This year, only a handful of respondents said they made less
than $100,000, whereas four years ago more than a quarter
of counsel surveyed reported base salaries below $100,000.
By contrast, two-thirds of attorneys said their base is at least
$200,000 in 2021.
As one might expect, lawyers at larger companies typically
earn a higher salary, and bonuses and stock are more
significant components of their compensation packages.
However, for lawyers at companies of all sizes, annual raises
are comparatively—in relation to law firms—low. Of course,
bonuses and company stock, where available, boost the
total package. But relatively meager annual increases and
bonuses that are determined by base salary underscore the
importance of that starting figure.
Our survey suggests that when joining an in-house team,
you should arm yourself with all the available information in
negotiating a deal, because you may find yourself locked in.
For those seeking insights into the compensation practices
across corporate legal departments, this report will prove a
useful resource.

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 RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

1,000+ total respondents

LAW SCHOOL GRADUATION YEAR

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%
1966
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979

1987
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986

1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

Survey respondents represent a wide range of experience, including some attorneys who
graduated law school more than 30 years ago as well as a handful who just finished law school
last year. Nearly 60% of respondents graduated between 2007 and 2017.

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 RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

MARKET SIZE COMPANY SIZE

75%
of respondents
7%
21% Small private (fewer than 100 employees)
practice in Medium-sized private (100-1000 employees)
a city of 23%
Large private (more than 1000 employees)
1 million+
Fortune 1000
13%
Fortune 500
Fortune 250
12% 24%

AREA OF PRACTICE

Corporate 43%
Litigation 10%
Intellectual Property 7%
General Counsel / CLO / Generalist 7%
Employment 6%
Real Estate 4%
M&A 3%
Commercial / Transactional 2%
Regulatory 2%
Data Privacy / Cybersecurity 2%
Compliance 2%
Health Care 1%
Tax 1%
Product Counsel 1%
Other 4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

“OTHER” RESPONSES INCLUDED

• Antitrust • Energy • Technology

• Biotech • Entertainment/
• Education Media

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 SURVEY FINDINGS

WHAT IS YOUR APPROXIMATE BASE PAY?

Less than $100K 3%

$100K 8%

$150K 22%

$200K 30%

$250K 20%

$300K 9%

$350K 3%

$400K 2%

More than $400K 3%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

89% of all respondents reported earning $150,000 or more in base pay.

The largest cohort of respondents, at 30%, reported that their

approximate base pay is $200,000.

67% reported earning $200,000 or more.

Only 11% reported earning $100,000 or less.

Even fewer (less than 6%) reported a base of $400,000 or more.

These results show notable increases over the 2017 survey. In 2017, the largest
group of in-house counsel (30%) reported base salaries of approximately $150,000;
four years later, the largest group is making $200,000.

In addition, just 3% of respondents this year reported that their base pay was less
than $100,000. In 2017, the under $100K cohort represented 14% of the survey pool.

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 APPROXIMATE BASE PAY BY MARKET SIZE

APPROXIMATE BASE PAY IN CITIES OF ONE MILLION+

Less than $100K 2%

$100K 6%
$150K 19%
$200K 31%
$250K 22%
$300K 9%
$350K 4%
$400K 3%
More than $400K 4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

APPROXIMATE BASE PAY IN CITIES OF LESS THAN ONE MILLION

Less than $100K 5%

$100K 16%
$150K 28%
$200K 26%
$250K 15%
$300K 7%
$350K 1%
$400K 1%
More than $400K 2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Unsurprisingly, corporate counsel working in larger markets are generally

likely to make more money than those in smaller markets.

92% of respondents in cities of one million or more reported base pay of

$150,000 or higher, compared to 80% of respondents in smaller cities.

Both figures represent notable increases over 2017, when 81% of respondents in major cities
and 61% of respondents in smaller markets reported base pay of at least $150,000.

At the high end of the spectrum, 7% of respondents in large cities this year reported receiving at least
$400,000 in base pay, while less than 3% of in-house counsel in smaller cities did.

Approximately 20% of respondents in cities of less than one million earn salaries of $100,000 or less,
compared to 8% of the respondents in bigger cities.

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 APPROXIMATE BASE PAY BY COMPANY SIZE

SMALL PRIVATE COMPANIES (FEWER THAN 100 EMPLOYEES)

Less than $100K 9%

$100K 16%

$150K 20%

$200K 16%

$250K 13%

$300K 13%

$350K 4%

$400K 4%

More than $400K 6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

In 2017, the largest group of respondents (27%) at small private companies reported
making less than $100,000. This year, just 9% of in-house counsel at small companies
said they earn less than $100,000 in base pay. The largest group of respondents (20%)
now reports making $150,000.

Additionally, whereas none of the counsel at small companies reported making over
$400,000 in our previous survey, this year, almost 6% of them fall in this salary range.

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 MEDIUM-SIZED PRIVATE (BETWEEN 100 AND 1000 EMPLOYEES)

Less than $100K 2%

$100K 9%

$150K Nearly three-fourths of counsel

25%
at medium-sized private
$200K 24% companies reported base pay
somewhere in the range of
$250K 24%
$150,000 to $250,000.
$300K 7%

$350K 3%

$400K 5%

More than $400K 2%

0% 10% 20%

LARGE PRIVATE (1000+ EMPLOYEES)

Less than $100K 5%

$100K 8%

$150K 20%

$200K 34%

$250K 17%

$300K 7%

$350K 4%

$400K 0%

More than $400K 4%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Among private companies with 1,000+ employees, the largest cohort of

respondents, at 34%, reported making $200,000 in 2021. This is a change from
2017, when the most commonly reported salary was $150,000 and less than
20% of respondents reported salaries of $200,000.

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 FORTUNE 1000

$100K 6%

$150K 22%

$200K 28% In 2017, about 13% of respondents

at Fortune 1000 companies
$250K 23% reported their approximate
$300K 9%
base pay as less than $100,000.
Notably, none of the Fortune 1000
$350K 4% respondents in 2021 reported
making less than $100,000.
$400K 3%

More than $400K 4%

0% 10% 20%

FORTUNE 500

Less than $100K 2%

$100K 7%

$150K 19%

$200K 40%

$250K 19%

$300K 6%

$350K 2%

$400K 1%

More than $400K 2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

More than 40% of respondents at Fortune 500 companies in 2021 reported their
approximate base pay to be $200,000. This represents a shift from 2017, when
$150,000 was the most commonly reported salary.

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 FORTUNE 250

Less than $100K 1%

$100K 6%

$150K 21%

$200K 32%

$250K 21%

$300K 11%

$350K 3%

$400K 2%

More than $400K 2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Similar to our 2017 findings, 92% of in-house counsel at Fortune 250 companies
reported base pay of $150,000 or higher.

Almost 40% of respondents at Fortune 250 companies reported annual base pay
of $250,000 or more.

While high salaries may still be more common among larger companies, base
pay has increased across the board. In 2017, only 50% of respondents at small
companies and 62% at medium-sized companies earned base salaries of at least
$150,000. In 2021, 76% of respondents at small companies and 89% at medium
companies reported salaries of $150,000 or more.

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 WHAT IS YOUR TARGET BONUS (AS A PERCENTAGE OF BASE PAY)?

0% 17%
Most respondents reported that their target
bonuses are no more than 30% of their
10-15% 21%
base pay. The most common ranges were
between 20 and 30% (22% of respondents)
15-20% 19%
and from 10 to 15% (21% of respondents).

In 2017, 19% of respondents reported no

20-30% 22% target bonus at all. This number dropped
slightly in 2021, to 17%.

30-40% 10% 62% of respondents reported having bonus

targets of between 10 and 30% this year,
an increase of almost 10 percentage points
40-60% 5% since 2017.

60-100% 6%

0% 10% 20%

IN WHAT APPROXIMATE RANGE HAS YOUR ACTUAL BONUS BEEN IN THE PAST FEW YEARS?

0%
The largest group of respondents (23%)
18%
reported that their actual bonus has been in
the 10-15% range in the past few years.
10-15% 23%
Those at either the low end (10-15%) or
the high end (60-100%) of the scale most
15-20% 18% commonly ended up with actual bonuses in
line with their targets.

20-30% 17% More than half of lawyers aiming for bonuses

between 15% to 60% of their base pay ended
9%
up close to their goal. The others more often
30-40%
came in below target than above.

40-60% 6% The vast majority of respondents with zero

bonus targets (93%) reported getting exactly
that: zero. But a handful received something
60-100% 9% extra, including one lucky lawyer whose
bonuses have been in the 60-100% range.
4
0% 10% 20%

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 WHAT IS THE AVERAGE RAISE YOU’VE RECEIVED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS?

0% 12%

1% 6%

2% 22%

3% 26%

4% 10%

More than 4% 25%

0% 10% 20%

While raises run the gamut from zero to more than 4%, the largest cohort of
respondents (26%) reported that their raises have averaged 3% over the past
few years.

Approximately one-fourth (25%) of respondents received raises of more than

4%—a significant increase from the 15% reported four years ago.

Consistent with our findings in 2017, generous raises are slightly more
common at private companies: 28% of in-house counsel at private companies
reported average raises above 4%, whereas only 21% of those at Fortune
250-1000 companies could say the same.

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 WHAT IS YOUR STOCK COMPENSATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF YOUR BASE PAY?

Less than 25% 30%

25% 12% More than half (56%) of

in-house counsel reported
receiving some stock
50% 7% compensation as a
percentage of base pay.
75% 2%

100% 1%

More than 100% 3%

Not applicable 44%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Less than 25% 54%

25% 22%

50% 12%
Of those who do receive
stock, for more than
75% 3% half (54%), the stock is
equivalent to less than
3%
25% of their base pay.
100%

More than 100% 6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

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 50%
IN-HOUSE COUNSEL WHO RECEIVE STOCK
COMPENSATION WORTH 25% OR MORE OF BASE PAY
40%

30%
27%

20%
20%
16% 16% 16%
10%

0% 4%

Fortune Fortune Medium Large Fortune Small

250 1000 sized private sized private 500 sized private
(100-1,000 (1,000+ (Fewer than 100
employees) employees) employees)

Less than 25% 42%

25% 18%

50% 10%

75% 3%

100% 2%

More than 100% 3%

Not applicable 23%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Among the in-house counsel who receive stock worth at least 25% of their base
pay, more than a quarter (27%) work at Fortune 250 companies.

18% of in-house counsel at the largest corporations (Fortune 250 and larger)
receive stock worth 50% or more of their base pay.

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