General Counsel Compensation in 2025: What’s Fair, What’s Changed, and Strategies for Effective Negotiation

Compensation arrangements for senior legal talent are often complex, and always critical to the success of an organization. Whether you are advising a compensation committee, searching for your next General Counsel, or seeking the GC role, it is essential to understand the evolving benchmarks, expectations, and negotiation strategies that will shape executive pay decisions in 2025 and beyond.

Join us for a candid discussion on the current state of General Counsel compensation. Drawing from real-world examples, emerging trends, and Meridian Compensation Partners’ insights from working with compensation committees and management teams, we explore:

• What is considered fair and competitive GC compensation in today’s market
• The ideal compensation process, from initial offer to ongoing performance reviews
• How to calibrate compensation expectations for incoming first-time GCs
• Strategies for negotiating a higher salary if you’re remaining in your current role
• What has changed over the last year, and how the current administration’s policies are affecting executive pay
• Nuanced considerations that can matter more than salary when it comes to attracting and retaining top legal talent

John Gilmore and our team of professionals are happy to help accelerate the initiatives that you’re already pursuing or to supplement your current strategic thinking to help you realize your vision. Please reach out if you or your organization may benefit from our recruiting, leadership development and coaching, or legal and compliance department consulting services. Let BarkerGilmore help you build and optimize your legal and compliance departments.