The salary of a Chief Legal Officer in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Chief Legal Officer in the United States is $394,457. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $334,948 to $468,266, with most professionals earning between $280,767 and $535,465.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $468,266 | $39,022 | $9,005 | $225 |
| Average | $394,457 | $32,871 | $7,586 | $190 |
| 25th Percentile | $334,948 | $27,912 | $6,441 | $161 |
An entry-level Chief Legal Officer with less than 1 year of experience earns about $353,634. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $358,898. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $365,917. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $376,446, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $389,607.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level Chief Legal Officer | $353,634 |
| Intermediate Level Chief Legal Officer | $358,898 |
| Senior Level Chief Legal Officer | $365,917 |
| Specialist Level Chief Legal Officer | $376,446 |
| Expert Level Chief Legal Officer | $389,607 |
| Entry Level | 10% |
| Mid Level | 9% |
| Senior Level | 7% |
| Top Level | 5% |
| Experienced | 1% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of March 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in Chief Legal Officer compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $296,670 in 2023 to approximately $292,658 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of Chief Legal Officer salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of Chief Legal Officer information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see Chief Legal Officer job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for Chief Legal Officer and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $394,457 | 57.4% | ||
| Bonus | $162,455 | 23.6% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $18,528 | 2.7% | ||
| 401K/403B | $10,500 | 1.5% | ||
| Disability | $11,138 | 1.6% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 1.2% | ||
| Pension | $13,500 | 2.0% | ||
| Time Off | $68,543 | 10.0% | ||
| Total Compensation | $687,474 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 0.2% |
| Associates | 0.3% |
| Bachelors | 1.2% |
| Masters | 2.1% |
| Doctorate | 95.8% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of Chief Legal Officer is $394,457. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of Chief Legal Officer is $190; the average weekly pay of Chief Legal Officer is $7,586; the average monthly pay of Chief Legal Officer is $32,871.
A Chief Legal Officer's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Chief Legal Officer earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Chief Legal Officer is $495,044.
The highest pay for Chief Legal Officer is $535,465.
The lowest pay for Chief Legal Officer is $280,767.
Chief Legal Officer leads and oversees an organization's legal affairs to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Maintains a thorough understanding of business processes, strategies, and objectives to preemptively identify regulatory risks and protect the organization. Being a Chief Legal Officer collaborates with executive stakeholders to provide leadership, regulatory oversight, and strategic guidance to all areas of an organization. Researches and monitors legal developments and manages regulatory changes to mitigate risk and minimize the impact on the organization. Additionally, Chief Legal Officer assists or represents the organization in business negotiations and agreements. Requires a JD. Requires State Bar. Typically reports to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). C-suite level management. Develops functional or business unit strategy for an organization. Executes multiple high impact initiatives to achieve organizational goals. Defines vision, strategy, and focus for a major functional or business unit. Substantial experience with setting key metrics like KPIs or OKRs and shaping plans to meet objectives. To be a Chief Legal Officer typically requires progressive leadership experience in senior management roles. Has expert level knowledge of the overall departmental function. Demonstrated experience in developing and executing long term business strategies.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Regulatory Compliance: Monitoring strict adherence of all organizational processes and procedures to applicable laws and regulations.
Financial Services: A services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money. These services involve banking, brokerage, mortgages, credit cards, payment services, real estate, investment funds, taxes and accounting.
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
