Canadian Lawyer

SENIOR IN-HOUSE COUNSEL COMPENSATION BY INDUSTRY sector gov't Financial industrial/ resourcemanufacturing based average senior counsel at director level $135,000 160,000 145,000 155,000 190,000 225,000 163,000 215,000 average senior counsel at executive level $145,000 200,000 170,000 253,000 220,330 375,000 130,000 200,000 SENIOR IN-HOUSE COUNSEL COMPENSATION NATIONAL (SAMPLE SIZE: 71) median lowest highest $155,000 110,000 1,000,000 $195,000 88,400 1,000,000 general counsel at director level general counsel at executive level IN-HOUSE COUNSEL COMPENSATION NATIONAL (SAMPLE SIZE: 71) year of call 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 and earlier 36 J u ly 2013 median $80,000 $80,500 $92,900 $97,500 $117,000 $100,000 $110,000 $110,000 $120,000 lowest 50,000 50,000 50,000 60,000 65,000 70,000 75,000 80,000 90,000 www.CANADIAN highest 100,000 120,000 115,000 135,000 175,000 200,000 195,000 200,000 200,000 L a w ye r m a g . c o m service tech non-profit professional services says Bhatal. Firms are controlling costs by reducing their hire-back rates, rather than by cutting wages, she adds. At the other end of the law firm ladder, the compensation picture for partners is mixed. Just under half of partners saw their earnings increase in 2012 compared with 2011. The biggest proportion of respondents said partners at their firm earned between $151,000 and $200,000 including salary, annual draws, and splits but not bonuses or perks. But at 41 firms, partners earned over $600,000. Around half of firms paid non-equity partners a salary, while the rest paid a share of profits. Equity partners were most likely to be compensated on an eat-what-youkill basis, though nearly a quarter were paid on an equal partnership basis and eight per cent on a 50/50 subjective/ objective basis. Three quarters of respondents had no billable hour target for partners. Two-thirds of firms offer benefits, comprising 12 per cent of compensation on average. Three-fifths offer perks such as professional development and health club memberships, making up five per cent of compensation on average. Only eight per cent of respondents, however, provide a pension plan. Two-fifths of firms plan to hire more lawyers and 57 per cent will freeze numbers. Only two per cent say they will downsize. In-house counsel C orporate legal department budgets are consistent with last year's, with a third of respondents planning to spend less than $500,000, 23 per cent between $500,000 and $1 million, 19 per cent between $1 million and $2 million and 14 per cent between $2 million and $5 million. Salaries for newly called lawyers have risen overall [to $80,000] from $77,500. The median salary for general counsel at director level is $155,000, rising to $195,000 for those at executive level. Bongard says companies' desire to attract top lawyers who may be thinking of leaving their law firm is driving up in-house salaries but not necessarily to the point where they match the most generous law firm packages. Many corporate law departments are offering lawyers short- and long-term incentives such as equity and stock shares to

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