General counsel at companies in the US received a median salary increase of 3.5% in 2026, a slight increase on the 2.5% rise in 2025, according to research from US legal recruitment firm BarkerGilmore.
The 2026 In-House Legal Compensation Report found that pay rises were highest for GCs, followed by 3% hikes for managing and senior counsel. On average, US GCs are taking home $525,500 a year, managing counsel $435,000 a year and senior counsel $315,000 a year.
Male GCs continue to be paid slightly more than their female counterparts ($545,000 compared to $500,000), while the pay gap across all positions between men and women increased to 7.4% this year from 5.4% in 2025.
Median total compensation for GCs at large public companies reached $2.5m, with top-quartile earnings exceeding $5m. GCs with top-tier law firm experience and law school credentials continue to command significantly higher total compensation, BarkerGilmore said, with legal heads that had previously practised at a top 50 firm receiving $700,000 a year on average.
Financial services companies paid the most across all positions on average ($494,000), followed by energy ($462,500) and industrial ($445,000). The non-profit sector paid the least at $250,000 on average.
The data showed that almost half of senior US in-house counsel have been in their jobs for between one and five years (49%), with almost a quarter (24%) working for the same company for six to 10 years. Only 4% had been at the same employer for more than two decades, and only 2% had been in the same position for that duration. Some 63% have been in the same role for between one and five years.
In-house turnover is relatively low. Just 16% of respondents across all positions said they had a ‘very high’ probability of looking for a new job this year, followed by 21% who said there was a ‘high’ chance. Some 42% said there was a ‘low’ probability that they would start a new job search, with 22% saying that likelihood was ‘very low’.
Where in-house counsel were looking for a change, 22% said it was for better compensation, while 15% said they had a desire for new challenges and 13% said they wanted a stronger leadership role.
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