Women serving as general counsel at large public companies are earning, on average, 16% more than their male counterparts, according to a recent study. This finding contrasts sharply with the broader U.S. workforce, where women typically earn about 20% less than men.
In 2025, these top-tier female legal executives saw their total compensation packages reach nearly $3 million annually. This figure breaks down to a median salary of $672,000 and equity valued at $2.3 million. In comparison, their male counterparts in equivalent positions reported an average salary of $657,000 and equity worth $1.9 million.
The study, conducted by Equilar, a corporate benchmarking firm, suggests that the disparity in earnings is largely attributed to women negotiating more successful stock award packages. "It’s not the base salaries, not the cash bonus, those are all pretty standard," said John Gilmore, co-founder of executive search firm BarkerGilmore, which collaborated with Equilar. "It’s that the women are getting higher equity."
The trend represents a significant shift from the previous year, when female general counsels held an 8.5% compensation premium. This year's data indicates a near doubling of that advantage.
While women are out-earning men in these specific high-level legal roles, the study also noted that male legal executives generally earned more than women across the five highest-paid executive positions within the analyzed companies. This suggests that the pay parity observed among general counsel may be an exception rather than the rule across the entire executive suite.