When candidates come to us exploring in-house legal roles, they often expect to be handed a definitive answer to what they should be earning, in the form of a cross-industry broad salary survey. Many recruitment businesses oblige by publishing broad salary reports, claiming to offer reliable benchmarks across sectors and roles. At SSQ, we don’t produce these surveys, for good reason.
Salary surveys promise clear-cut data to steer your critical career decision-making, but the reality is far more complex. It is impossible to gather accurate, up-to-date salary information that accounts for the many nuances across industries, sectors and PQE levels that affect legal professionals’ compensation.
To start with, industries vary significantly – a multinational tech giant, a private equity firm, and a government entity will each have vastly different compensation structures. Even within a single sector, salaries differ based on company size, ownership model, benefit structures and internal policies, some employers will offer a form of equity, others not.
A FTSE 100 company may pay double the base salary of a smaller start-up, though the longer-term equity potential will probably be significantly better in the latter employer. In banking the Big Five banks have strict salary bandings and caps, while challenger banks often offer more flexibility and higher pay to attract top talent.
Job titles can be misleading in terms of expectations; an Associate GC at one company in, for example, the insurance sector, may earn a maximum of £120k, while an Associate GC in the same industry at another organisation might command £175k, but with an entirely different longer-term compensation offering. Much comes down to the size of company, the extent of their management role, as well as bonus, benefits and equity.
These variations, which don’t even touch on the significant impact candidate experience and skills can have, show there is no hard and fast rule for any aspect of the in-house legal salary scale. With so many variables at play, the breadth of the market simply can’t be captured in a generic salary guide.
Many salary surveys are used as marketing tools rather than as genuine resources. These surveys drive website traffic and generate active leads by requiring candidates to submit their email addresses. In some cases, inflated salary figures can create a misleading impression, making candidates believe they are underpaid or encouraging them to pursue an initial conversation or application with the recruiter in anticipation of an earnings increase that does not reflect reality.
Moreover, these surveys can serve as a bargaining chip, enabling recruiters to pressure legal search clients into higher salary bands based on data so generalised as to be worthless and highly misleading.
In a similar fashion, recruiter-hosted or backed industry awards are often more about boosting brand visibility than genuinely assessing market performance. Awards ceremonies can provide a curated list of ‘top’ candidates and organisations, which may be strategically selected to enhance business development efforts rather than to reflect the true state of the market. While these awards may generate attention, much like salary surveys, they often prioritise visibility over accuracy, shaping market perception without offering a truly reliable benchmark for hiring decisions.
At SSQ, we believe in accuracy, integrity, and transparency. For this reason, we choose not to rely on broad-brush salary surveys but instead deliver bespoke individual salary advice and recruitment guidance for each client or candidate who asks, which considers the unique requirements of the role, industry and candidate profile.
Our approach is grounded in real, up-to-date data from organisations, industries and candidates we work with closely, so we know their operating models, compensation structures and career trajectories. This means we only benchmark salaries against the most relevant specific parallels, providing a far more nuanced and accurate picture than any generic survey could do.
This tailored process not only empowers candidates to make informed career decisions but also supports our clients in setting competitive yet realistic compensation frameworks. In an industry where precision and trust are paramount, our consultative model ensures that every placement is based on a deep understanding of the market’s realities.
While generic salary surveys may seem to offer a convenient snapshot, they fall short of capturing the true complexity of in-house legal remuneration. At SSQ, our commitment is to provide data-driven, individualised advice that meets the specific needs of both candidates and organisations and enables transparent, informed decision-making for all.
For more information on how we can help you navigate the shifting terrain of legal compensation and talent acquisition, get in touch with our team. We are always happy to offer bespoke salary and compensation guidance where we can.
