Pushing up pay packages is not automatic, however, and the GCs who achieved this tended to do so through a variety of areas including incentive pay, bonuses and share packages. Most of the highest paid GCs managed to get a pay rise last year and most of them are based in southern Florida. 

Pay rises at IT businesses

Todd Sirras, managing director of Semler Brossy, a Los Angeles-based executive compensation consultancy, said pay for GCs tends to move in line with that of other senior executives. But he added that in sectors 'where regulation is high, and there's a lot of transaction activity, general counsel pay can move more quickly than [compensation of] other senior executives'. In the last couple of years, this has meant pay rising in banks, IT businesses and other organisations with substantial amounts of intellectual property. Source: DBR Daily Business