73 Percent of In-House Lawyers Got Bonuses in Past Year, International Survey Says
Seventy-three percent of in-house lawyers around the globe got bonuses last year, and a third of them were higher than the year before, according to a new survey.
Thirty-three percent of the lawyers surveyed said their bonuses were higher, about 40 percent said they were the same, and about 26 percent said they were lower. And 72 percent of the lawyers who received a bonus were either satisfied or highly satisfied with it.
That wasn’t the only good news in the survey (PDF) of 1,900 in-house lawyers by recruiting firm Laurence Simons. Eighty-three percent of the lawyers surveyed said their jobs were either secure or very secure. And 79 percent said they would recommend their employer to friends as a place to work.
Most worked in legal departments that did not cut lawyers in 2009. About 26 percent said their departments had increased headcount, about 48 percent said staffing remained the same, and about 26 percent said it had decreased.
Corporate Counsel had one story highlighting the headcount and bonus information, and a separate story highlighting findings about areas with lucrative in-house jobs. “Thinking of moving abroad to work in-house? Brazil may be your best bet,” Corporate Counsel says in the second story. “There’s been a huge influx of law firms into Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and that’s pushing up salaries for both in-house lawyers and those in private practice.”
