Lawyer Pay Top in-house lawyers get paid less when female, survey says

By Martha Neil

ABA Journal

   Women lawyers working in top in-house jobs make significantly less than their male counterparts, a recent survey found. 

   General counsel and chief legal officers were paid average total cash compensation of $575,200, compared to $723,700 for men in the same position, according to the 2013 Law Department Compensation Benchmarking Survey by ALM Legal Intelligence. Deputy chief legal officers who are female earned $316,400, versus $386,700 for males, reports Corporate Counsel (reg. req.), which is owned by ALM. 

   Bonuses, which were included in total cash compensation, were about 40 percent lower for women in 2012. Salaries included in the survey were effective March 1, 2013. 

   President Deborah Froling of the National Association of Women Lawyers said the big gender gap in compensation for top in-house counsel was no surprise. 

   “We see the same thing in the NAWL survey with respect to law firm partners,” she told the legal publication. 

See also:

ABAJournal: "Shattering the glass ceiling: Initiatives under way to end gender inequity in the legal profession" ABAJournal.com: "Women at Big Firms Make Up 70 Percent of Staff Attorneys, 15 Percent of Equity Partners" Copyright 2013 American Bar Association. All rights reserved.