How much does an internal consultant make? Download our free report!

This is the season for lawyers to celebrate the holidays, give back to their communities and, of course, compare bonus amounts.

It’s also the time of year when we unpack the big black box of corporate lawyers.

Unlike the world of Biglaw, where lockstep salaries and hour-based bonuses are both common and relatively transparent (or at least not that hard to find), it can be trickier to discover how much in-house lawyers earn.

To address this information gap, Above the Law has conducted a series of surveys of corporate lawyers in recent years. More than 1,000 lawyers participated in the 2021 survey, which asked them about their base pay, annual raises, bonuses and stock compensation. We have now released a report highlighting the results.

The good news is that, compared to the findings of our 2017 survey, corporate lawyers generally make more money. But both company size and market size can make a difference in both the salary base and the extent to which perks, such as bonuses and shares, are part of the overall compensation package.