Side-by-side distribution
Counsel
$214,525
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.3%
- Live roles
- 1,275
Lawyer
$177,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 45%
- Live roles
- 1,468
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Legal Counsel
Employment Counsel [6 Month Contract]
Director, Corporate Counsel
Director, Investments Counsel
General Counsel
Senior Counsel, Real Estate
Real Estate Associate / Special Counsel (Lender-Side Focus)
REIT Special Counsel / Senior Associate
Real Estate Senior Associate / Special Counsel ("Dirt" Focus)
Associate General Counsel, Commercial (Silicon)
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Legal Counsel
Employment Law Attorney
Employment Law Attorney
Employment Law Attorney
Trial Attorney
Trial Attorney
Employment Law Attorney
Trial Attorney
Workers' Compensation Attorney
Employment Law Attorney
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TM Tyson & Mendes LLP | $175,000 | 32 |
Axiom Talent Platform
|
$190,500 | 18 |
Brex
|
$245,000 | 16 |
Alliance Defending Freedom
|
$212,500 | 13 |
Anthropic
|
$300,000 | 12 |
Crusoe
|
$245,500 | 11 |
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
|
$275,000 | 10 |
DigitalOcean
|
$216,450 | 10 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| WE Wilson Elser - Attorneys | $182,500 | 82 |
|
Axiom Talent Platform
|
$190,500 | 59 |
Parnalllaw
|
$300,000 | 44 |
The United Firm | La Liga Defensora, APC
|
$100,000 | 41 |
Modern Family Law
|
$151,000 | 36 |
| TM Tyson & Mendes LLP | $133,750 | 24 |
|
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
|
$292,500 | 21 |
micro1
|
$249,600 | 21 |
Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $245,000 | 150 |
| Seattle | $243,250 | 40 |
| Singapore | $234,000 | 8 |
| Dublin | $226,962 | 3 |
| New York | $222,000 | 185 |
| Los Angeles | $217,025 | 26 |
| Chicago | $215,775 | 22 |
| Austin | $215,000 | 14 |
| Boston | $202,500 | 17 |
| Denver | $198,750 | 18 |
Lawyer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | $249,600 | 21 |
| San Francisco | $190,500 | 41 |
| Atlanta | $190,500 | 34 |
| New York | $190,000 | 110 |
| Boston | $182,750 | 6 |
| Seattle | $175,000 | 15 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 34 |
| Los Angeles | $170,000 | 58 |
| Denver | $170,000 | 13 |
| Austin | $145,000 | 14 |
Counsel vs Lawyer: which pays more?
The median for Counsel is $214,525 per year (typically $181,400–$251,819), versus $177,500 for Lawyer ($135,547–$207,500). That puts Counsel about 21% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Counsel and Lawyer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.