Corporate Counsel salary in Los Angeles: $193,000
Corporate counsel in Los Angeles, CA earn a median of $193,000 in total compensation — about +3.8% versus the national median of $186,000 for this title. The typical range runs $151,000 to $262,000, with roughly $139,000 of that as base salary and the remainder in bonus and equity.
Median total comp
$193,000
base + bonus + equity
Typical base salary
$139,000
cash only
Cost-of-living adjusted
$132,000
COL index 146
Market movement
+6.1%
709 open legal roles
What a corporate counsel role package looks like in Los Angeles
Corporate Counsel is typically the first or second in-house title a lawyer holds: heavy commercial contracting, vendor and customer agreements, corporate housekeeping and cross-functional business support. It is the entry point into the in-house track and the widest-open hiring band.
Los Angeles carries a cost-of-living index of 146 against a national baseline of 100, so the $193,000 median is worth about $132,000 in national purchasing power. Legal hiring in the metro is running +6.1% year over year across roughly 709 tracked openings, and demand scores 78 out of 100 in our benchmark set.
- Contract volume and deal size the role supports
- Whether the seat also covers privacy, employment or compliance
- Company stage — Series B startups often pay in equity what late-stage companies pay in cash
- Metro and remote eligibility
Los Angeles versus other metros for corporate counsel
| Metro | Median total | vs Los Angeles | COL adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $193,000 | — | $132,000 |
| San Francisco, CA | $231,000 | +19.7% | $127,000 |
| New York, NY | $217,000 | +12.4% | $129,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $211,000 | +9.3% | $139,000 |
| Boston, MA | $198,000 | +2.6% | $134,000 |
| Washington, DC | $192,000 | -0.5% | $134,000 |
| Austin, TX | $181,000 | -6.2% | $168,000 |
| Denver, CO | $178,000 | -7.8% | $153,000 |
| Chicago, IL | $176,000 | -8.8% | $157,000 |
| Dallas, TX | $171,000 | -11.4% | $168,000 |
| Atlanta, GA | $169,000 | -12.4% | $164,000 |
| Raleigh, NC | $164,000 | -15.0% | $166,000 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $162,000 | -16.1% | $156,000 |
| Tampa, FL | $159,000 | -17.6% | $157,000 |
Total compensation medians as of August 2026. Directional market estimates, not offers.
Corporate Counsel pay in Los Angeles: common questions
- How much does a corporate counsel role pay in Los Angeles?
- The median total compensation for corporate counsel in Los Angeles, CA is $193,000 as of August 2026, with a typical range of $151,000 to $262,000. Roughly $139,000 of the median is base salary, with the remainder in bonus and equity.
- Is Corporate Counsel pay in Los Angeles above or below the national average?
- Los Angeles pays above the national median for this title — $193,000 versus $186,000 nationally, a difference of about 3.8%. Adjusted for Los Angeles's cost-of-living index of 146, the package is worth about $132,000 in national purchasing power.
- What is the base salary versus bonus and equity split for corporate counsel in Los Angeles?
- Base salary typically accounts for about $139,000 of the $193,000 median, or roughly 72%. The balance comes from annual bonus and equity, and the equity share rises sharply at venture-backed and public companies.
- Which US metro pays corporate counsel the most?
- San Francisco, CA leads our benchmark set at $231,000 median total compensation for corporate counsel. Cost of living offsets part of that advantage — on a cost-adjusted basis the ranking changes materially.
- What drives Corporate Counsel compensation the most?
- Contract volume and deal size the role supports; Whether the seat also covers privacy, employment or compliance; Company stage — Series B startups often pay in equity what late-stage companies pay in cash; Metro and remote eligibility.
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