The numbers come first.
Women serving as general counsel at the largest publicly traded U.S. companies were paid about 16% more than men in 2025, according to Equilar's annual General Counsel Pay Trends report, produced with BarkerGilmore. The analysis covers the Equilar 500, a group of the largest U.S. public companies by revenue, and draws on annual regulatory disclosures for named executive officers.
Female general counsel received a median base salary of $672,000 and roughly $2.3 million in stock awards. Men received a median salary of $657,000 and $1.9 million in equity. Stock awards did most of the work, and the premium nearly doubled from 8.5% a year earlier, Bloomberg first reported.
The report says the pay gap is not proof that gender alone drives compensation. John Gilmore, cofounder and managing partner of BarkerGilmore, said general counsel pay reflects company size, industry, experience, and the structure of incentive plans. He said the shift also reflects a growing number of highly accomplished women reaching the top legal job at major corporations, plus stiff competition among companies for proven female legal executives.
The role itself has become more lucrative. Median general counsel compensation at Equilar 500 companies rose from $2.8 million in 2020 to $3.4 million in 2024, a 20.5% increase. Equilar tied that rise to the growing weight of legal, regulatory, and strategic responsibilities. Stock awards have grown 30.9% since 2021, faster than any other component of general counsel pay.
But the broader picture is less flattering. Women’s foothold in the role weakened between 2020 and 2024, when the share of Equilar 500 general counsel positions held by women fell from 34.9% to 33.5%. Gilmore said women’s share dipped slightly again in 2025. Women held 45.6% of public company board seats as general counsel in 2025, close to parity.
The data cuts against the broader labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that in the second quarter of 2026, women’s median weekly earnings were $1,131, or 82% of men’s $1,380 median. The BLS also found that men working full time out-earned women in every major occupational group.
There is a market lesson here. Capital rewards scarce skills, not slogans. When companies believe legal, regulatory, cybersecurity, and AI governance risk matter, they pay for judgment at the top. That is how free enterprise works when boards are forced to compete for talent.
The harder question is not whether women can command premium pay once they reach the top chair. They can, and the numbers show it. The real issue is access. A shrinking share of the role means the ladder still narrows before the top rung. In corporate America, the market is generous to proven talent. The challenge is getting more of that talent through the door.
