Median total pay is US$1M for GCs, US$464K for managing counsel, US$397K for senior counsel
According to BarkerGilmore LLC’s recently published 2026 New York City in-house legal leadership compensation report, compensation generally rises with organizational scale and responsibility level in the city, described by the firm’s managing partner as “one of the most sophisticated and competitive markets for in-house legal talent.”
“The compensation levels reflected in our research reinforce how highly organizations value experienced legal leaders, particularly professionals operating within large, complex enterprises,” said John Gilmore, managing partner, in the announcement of the report’s release.
Over 340 in-house counsel across various industries, seniority levels, and organization sizes within New York City’s in-house legal market responded to the survey.
Of these respondents, 39 percent were general counsel, 35 percent were senior counsel, and 26 percent were managing counsel. Among the industries represented, financial services accounted for the biggest segment at 42 percent.
In-house compensation benchmarks
The 2026 New York City in-house legal leadership compensation report shared updated benchmarks for salary and total compensation (comprising base salary, cash bonus, and the estimated value of long-term incentive awards) among the city’s general counsel, managing counsel, and senior counsel.
The report provided the following figures for median total compensation:
- general counsel: US$1,137,500
- managing counsel: US$464,000
- senior counsel: US$397,375
For all three positions, the report revealed that median total compensation went up as company revenue rose, with the general counsel level showing the biggest differences in amounts. The report found that:
- For general counsel, median total compensation went from US$550,000 at organizations with under US$500 million in annual revenue to US$1.475 million at organizations with over US$5 billion in annual revenue
- At the 90th percentile, median total compensation for general counsel at US$5 billion-plus organizations was at US$5.6 million
- Meanwhile, for managing counsel, median total compensation ranged from US$325,000 at organizations below US$500 million in annual revenue to US$540,000 at organizations with more than US$5 billion in annual revenue
“For employers, reliable market data is critical to developing compensation strategies capable of attracting and retaining exceptional talent,” Gilmore said in the firm’s update. “For legal professionals, these benchmarks provide important context for understanding how role, scope, and organizational size can influence market value.”
BarkerGilmore report’s other findings
BarkerGilmore’s recent report also offered insights on career trends throughout New York City’s in-house legal market.
According to the report, among survey respondents:
- 37 percent reported a “high” or “very high” probability of performing a job search, while 63 percent reported a “low” or “very low” probability, suggesting the ongoing importance of career mobility within the in-house legal market
- 66 percent have stayed in the same position for one to five years, while an additional 10 percent have remained in their current role for under a year, showing that many in-house lawyers were relatively new to their present position
More BarkerGilmore news
Here are some other news stories involving the in-house legal and compliance executive search firm.
According to BarkerGilmore’s 2026 chief compliance officer compensation report, released last June, women chief compliance officers reported higher median total compensation levels than their male counterparts.
In May, the firm announced the appointment of Edward Nekritz – former chief legal officer and general counsel at Prologis, Inc., with over three decades of experience in international real estate, corporate governance, and legal strategy – as a strategic advisor and leadership development coach.
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