Corporate Counsel

💰 $110K–$210K salary range

Median: $168K  ·  Based on 631 public job postings  ·  Updated July 1, 2026

📊 Salary breakdown

Corporate Counsel salary by location

• All locations: $168K median ($110K–$210K typical range)
• New York: $185K median, $119K–$228K range (+10% vs. national)
• San Francisco: $208K median, $175K–$246K range (+24% vs. national)
• Seattle: $169K median, $154K–$169K range (+1% vs. national)
• Remote: $185K median, $101K–$199K range (+10% vs. national)
• Los Angeles: $159K median, $129K–$186K range (-5% vs. national)
• Boston: $164K median, $118K–$189K range (-2% vs. national)
• Chicago: $185K median, $126K–$225K range (+10% vs. national)
• Austin: $185K median, $136K–$195K range (+10% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• Anthropic: $300K median
• OpenAI: $262K median

New York

• Clay: $250K median
• FalconX: $222K median
• Major League Baseball: $190K median
• iCapital Network: $188K median
• Legora (formerly Leya): $171K median
• ACLU: $147K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 70% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 61% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 50% of postings
• Parental leave: 28% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 17% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 3% of postings

Typical experience required: 5–7 years.

Legal salaries by seniority

• Legal Operations Manager: $140K
• Associate General Counsel: $155K
• Corporate Counsel: $168K
• Legal Analyst: $175K
• Senior Counsel: $200K
• Senior Legal Counsel: $208K
• General Counsel: $225K

What does a Corporate Counsel do?

Corporate Counsels are legal and compliance professionals who manage risk, contracts, and regulation. This benchmark reflects Mid-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Common questions

What is the average Corporate Counsel salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $168K, with a typical range of $110K–$210K, based on 631 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

How does Corporate Counsel pay compare in San Francisco vs. remote?
San Francisco roles pay a median of $205K, while fully-remote roles pay $185K.

What is the Corporate Counsel salary in New York?
New York Corporate Counsels at AI-native startups earn a median of $185K, with a typical range of $119K–$228K (25th–75th percentile). That's 10% above the $168K US national median. 11% below San Francisco's $208K. Based on 124 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

What is the Corporate Counsel salary in San Francisco?
San Francisco Corporate Counsels at AI-native startups earn a median of $208K, with a typical range of $175K–$246K (25th–75th percentile). That's 24% above the $168K US national median. Based on 53 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 631 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed July 1, 2026.

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