Side-by-side distribution
General Counsel
$225,362
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 56.2%
- Live roles
- 418
Paralegal
$85,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51%
- Live roles
- 1,239
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Legal Officer
Deputy General Counsel and Vice President, Intellectual Property
Divisional Chief Legal Officer West Florida Division
General Counsel, San Francisco Bay Area (1003-SLS)
Associate General Counsel, Commercial – Infrastructure
Assistant General Counsel, Healthcare Compliance and Investigations
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel – Market Access Legal
Associate General Counsel, Content, Music, & Marketing
General Counsel
VP of Legal or General Counsel - The Brydon Group
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel – Market Access Legal
Corporate Paralegal - Chicago
Litigation Paralegal
Corporate Paralegal - Dallas
Litigation Paralegal - Pennsylvania
Corporate Paralegal
Litigation Paralegal - D.C
Litigation Paralegal - California
Litigation Paralegal - Detroit
Litigation Paralegal - Chicago
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TT The Trade Desk | $214,050 | 5 |
OKX
|
$250,444 | 4 |
| AD AdventHealth | $227,313 | 4 |
|
Solutuslegal
|
$325,000 | 3 |
| CG Cboe Global Markets | $288,750 | 3 |
Roku
|
$270,000 | 3 |
Neuberger Berman
|
$250,000 | 3 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$232,900 | 3 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CACI
|
$61,693 | 42 |
Amentum
|
$62,483 | 41 |
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
|
$77,500 | 24 |
| DP DLA Piper | $114,587 | 19 |
Parnalllaw
|
$66,580 | 19 |
HireHawk
|
$21,000 | 16 |
Modern Family Law
|
$72,915 | 15 |
| WE Wilson Elser - Business & Legal Professionals | $75,000 | 14 |
General Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $270,875 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $270,603 | 28 |
| Atlanta | $266,348 | 8 |
| Austin | $265,000 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $252,000 | 16 |
| New York | $242,500 | 57 |
| Boston | $242,500 | 13 |
| Denver | $225,000 | 5 |
| Chicago | $223,845 | 16 |
| Toronto | $173,998 | 4 |
Paralegal salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $119,514 | 8 |
| San Francisco | $112,713 | 34 |
| Boston | $104,160 | 22 |
| Los Angeles | $102,940 | 42 |
| New York | $102,673 | 82 |
| Austin | $92,966 | 5 |
| Chicago | $92,500 | 39 |
| Seattle | $91,426 | 22 |
| Toronto | $78,500 | 3 |
| Denver | $69,680 | 11 |
General Counsel vs Paralegal: which pays more?
The median for General Counsel is $225,362 per year (typically $191,123–$275,000), versus $85,000 for Paralegal ($64,480–$109,375). That puts General Counsel about 165% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so General Counsel and Paralegal 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.