Median general counsel compensation among Equilar 500 companies reached $3.7 million in 2025, up 23.3 percent since 2021, according to BarkerGilmore's 2026 General Counsel Compensation Report.
The report examines general counsel compensation disclosed in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Equilar 500 companies over the past five fiscal years. It considers how companies compensate and structure the role as general counsel responsibilities continue to expand.
Performance incentives remained the largest component of general counsel compensation in 2025. Stock awards increased 30.9 percent over the five years, more than twice the rate of growth in base salaries.
John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner of BarkerGilmore, said the increased use of equity reflects the general counsel’s evolution from a functional leader to an enterprise executive. General counsel are increasingly involved in strategy, governance, transformation, risk, reputation and long-term value creation, he said.
The report also identified changes in the representation and tenure of general counsel. The number of general counsel disclosed among named executive officers declined 17.1 percent in 2025, the steepest decrease tracked in the report.
Gilmore said significant turnover and hiring in recent years may help explain the decline. A first-time general counsel replacing a long-tenured executive may not immediately hold the same compensation, organizational stature or responsibilities as their predecessor, he said.
The share of general counsel with five years of tenure or less also increased to 32.4 percent in 2025, up from one-quarter of the population the previous year.
Compensation differences between women and men widened in women’s favour. Women general counsel received median compensation of $4 million in 2025, compared with $3.5 million for men. The pay gap increased from 8.5 percent to 16.1 percent, with women earning more across every major compensation component.
Gilmore cautioned against interpreting the figures as evidence that gender itself drives compensation. He said company size, industry, ownership structure, experience, role complexity, performance and incentive structures can affect general counsel pay.
CEO-to-general counsel and CFO-to-general counsel pay ratios also narrowed, suggesting general counsel compensation may be gaining ground relative to CEO and CFO pay.
The report also examined general counsel representation on public company boards. General counsel held 836 Russell 3000 board seats in 2025, with women accounting for 45.6 percent of those positions.
Gilmore said total general counsel-held board seats continued to rise despite fewer new appointments during the year. He said general counsel seeking board positions need to demonstrate commercial perspective, financial fluency and strategic experience in addition to legal expertise.