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What In-House Legal Compensation Negotiations Reveal About Retention, Risk and Value

By Anne Kerwin Payne
August 31, 2025

For years, compensation conversations for in-house legal professionals happened quietly and reluctantly, often at the tail end of the hiring process. Today, those conversations are front and center, shaped by shifting market conditions, rising living costs, and a growing recognition that pay is a critical part of talent strategy. Legal professionals are more informed about their market worth than ever before, yet many still enter negotiations without the preparation or data that would allow them to secure the best possible terms.

Our 2025 Navigating Compensation Negotiations report, based on the experiences of over 300 in-house legal professionals, provides a detailed look at how negotiation is evolving, where professionals succeed or struggle, and what employers can do to retain top legal talent. The findings suggest a profession that accepts negotiation as standard practice but continues to struggle with inequities in information, internal advancement, and the valuation of non-cash compensation.

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