Gender pay gap has turned in favour of female general counsel: ACC survey

The gender pay gap among general counsel may be shifting in favor of women – both minority and non-minority – for the first time ever, according to data from the Association of Corporate Counsel.

The 2023 Law Department Compensation Survey released by the ACC in partnership with Empsight International, LLC, showed that when sorting by gender alone, men and women in the US reported the same median total cash compensation (US $300,000).

However, among all general counsel, without regard to law department size or setting, minority women reported a median total cash compensation of US $325,000 – eight percent higher than their peers. Minority men report the lowest average compensation at $274,175. Non-minority men and women report compensation of US $301,417 and US $300,000 respectively.

Female general counsel in multi-lawyer departments reported earning 19.5 percent more than men (US $418,313 vs. US $350,000) while in single-lawyer departments women earn three percent less than men (US $242,000 vs. US $250,000).

Minority women reported earning 19 percent more that non-minority men in single-lawyer departments (US $298,500 vs. $250,000) and minority men lagged all others in single-lawyer departments by upwards of 37 percent. Minority men did not fare much better in multi-lawyer departments where their median compensation was more than 10 percent behind all others.

In multi-lawyer departments, non-minority women GCs reported earning about 36 percent more than both non-minority men and minority women and more than 50 percent higher than minority men.

“ACC’s compensation survey represents a large cross-section of companies in the US and for the first-time shows that non-minority women who achieve the coveted GC spot in multi-lawyer departments are among the highest paid, and compensation levels for women of colour general counsel exceeded their peers for the first time in the history of ACC’s compensation surveys,” said Veta T. Richardson, president & CEO at the ACC.

“These survey results suggest that progress is being made to address the long-time gender pay gap. I celebrate these women whose ability, leadership, and awareness have enabled them to achieve the role of general counsel and negotiate higher compensation.”

However, Richardson added that one year’s data cannot be interpreted to mean the gender pay gap has been completely eliminated, especially for positions below the GC level and considering the fact that compensation for minority male GCs falls significantly below all others.

The ACC Law Department Self-Reported Compensation Survey is based on responses from 1,963 in-house legal professionals throughout the US.