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General Counsel (Chief Legal Officer, CLO) jobs: 213 open roles, pay, industries and skills

213 open General Counsel jobs (CLO), taken from employers’ own career sites and checked to still be open. Also listed as GC, Chief Legal Officer, CLO, Chief Counsel, Head of Legal. Listings that state pay show a median of $260,000 a year.

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The market for General Counsel work

Every figure is counted from verified open listings. Pay is what the employer advertises for the job.

Verified open General Counsel jobs
213

Source: NextChapter, checked against employer career sites, last 7 days.

See the detail →
Median pay in listings that state it
$260,000

Source: NextChapter verified openings.

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State with the most openings
California (41)

Source: NextChapter verified openings.

Industry hiring the most
Technology & Software (30%)

Source: NextChapter verified openings.

Listings that are remote
33%

Source: NextChapter verified openings.

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Listings that ask for an AI skill
20%

Source: NextChapter verified openings, read in full.

What a General Counsel does

C-suite role in Legal.

The company’s legal work: contracts, litigation, regulatory exposure, corporate governance and advice to the board.

Usually reports to the CEO.

Other ways this role is written

  • General Counsel
  • GC
  • Chief Legal Officer
  • CLO
  • Chief Counsel
  • Head of Legal

Listings under any of these titles are counted on this page. Assistant, associate, manager and staff titles are not.

Open General Counsel jobs

Verified against the employer’s own career site within the last week.

Showing the newest 15 of about 213 verified open jobs here. Search all jobs

Search all General Counsel jobs

General Counsel salary

From 59 open listings that state pay. Annual, in US dollars, base pay only.

Lower quarter
$212,500
Median
$260,000
Upper quarter
$302,500

Leadership pay often includes bonus and equity that a listing does not state. Treat these figures as the floor of the conversation, not the whole package.

Best industries for General Counsel jobs

Employers hiring the most, as a share of listings whose employer has a known industry. Median pay shown where at least 8 listings state it.

Where General Counsel jobs are

States with the most open listings; median pay where at least 8 listings state it.

Skills General Counsel jobs ask for

Named in the listings themselves, as a share of 80 General Counsel listings that name skills. Leadership listings name fewer skills than individual-contributor ones, so this is a signal, not a checklist.

Most named in General Counsel listings

  1. 1. litigation48%
  2. 2. intellectual property36%
  3. 3. risk management28%
  4. 4. regulatory compliance24%
  5. 5. procurement16%
  6. 6. lean16%
  7. 7. m&a11%
  8. 8. audit11%
  9. 9. supply chain10%
  10. 10. hipaa9%

Across all Legal openings

  1. 1. litigation22%
  2. 2. regulatory compliance7%
  3. 3. risk management4%
  4. 4. audit3%
  5. 5. excel3%
  6. 6. procurement2%
  7. 7. intellectual property2%
  8. 8. project management2%
  9. 9. logistics1%
  10. 10. due diligence1%

AI skills for General Counsel jobs

Specific AI skills named in the full posting text, such as prompt engineering, AI governance or an AI tool. A general mention of AI does not count.

20% of 84 open General Counsel listings ask for a specific AI skill, against 2% of all Legal openings.

AI skills named most often

  1. 1. AI tools in daily work12%
  2. 2. AI governance and risk10%
  3. 3. AI adoption and change management5%
  4. 4. LLM application engineering4%
  5. 5. Gen-AI content tools4%
  6. 6. Gen-AI assistants (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude)2%

Do AI skills change general counsel pay?

For Legal roles in general, as of November 9, 2026. This is the function’s figure, not one for general counsel alone: one title rarely has enough listings on both sides.

Among Legal listings, those that ask for an AI skill advertise a median $207,000, against $136,000 for those that never mention AI (+52%). That raw gap is not matched on level or industry.

Listings that ask for an AI skill
$207,000
median, from 281 paid listings
Listings that never mention AI
$136,000
median, from 758 paid listings

Advertised pay only: the midpoint of the range an employer posted, on live U.S. postings read from the full text. “Asks for an AI skill” means the posting names a specific AI skill; “no AI” means it never mentions AI. A difference in what is advertised is not a promise of what you would be paid, and it does not show that learning a skill causes a raise.

See the AI-skill pay table for every function · Check your own pay against these listings

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Job titles under General Counsel

The exact titles employers use, with their own job and salary pages.

Employers hiring for General Counsel roles

  • Pearl 14
  • Confidential 4
  • Etched 4
  • Lockheed Martin Services 3
  • Commonwealth of Massachusetts 3
  • American Staffing Association 2
  • Courier Health 2
  • HungryPanda Ltd 熊猫外卖 2
  • Colonial Life 2
  • BNY 2
  • Dept of Health/Mental Hygiene 2
  • Cornerstone Search Group 2

Recruiters who place General Counsel roles

Search firms with live public searches in Legal, counted from their own job postings, not self-described. Few firms have two searches at this level, so firms with three at the level below follow.

All Legal search firms

General Counsel turnover

Departures and appointments reported in SEC filings and news in the last 120 days. Each links to its source.

  • Dutch Bros

    Dutch Bros's Chief Legal Officer is retiring in 2027, and no permanent successor has been named yet.

    Nov 6, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Winnebago Industries

    Winnebago Industries's General Counsel is retiring at year-end, and the company plans to name a successor by that date.

    Nov 5, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Goodyear Tire & Rubber

    Goodyear Tire & Rubber appointed David E. Phillips as Chief Legal Officer, effective November 1, 2026. New leaders often bring in or reshape the senior team under them.

    Nov 5, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Eplus

    Eplus's General Counsel is retiring, and the Deputy General Counsel will succeed her in the role effective November 27, 2026. New leaders often bring in or reshape the senior team under them.

    Nov 5, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Electronic Servitor Publication Network

    Electronic Servitor Publication Network's Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and General Counsel resigned, and the CEO is serving as interim for all three roles.

    Nov 4, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Enovix

    Enovix's Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary departed the company effective October 30, 2026, with no permanent successor named.

    Nov 3, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • Valion Bio

    Valion Bio's General Counsel was terminated, effective October 30, 2026, and no permanent successor has been named.

    Nov 2, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

  • TE Connectivity

    TE Connectivity's General Counsel is retiring, and a permanent successor is being hired to replace him. New leaders often bring in or reshape the senior team under them.

    Nov 2, 2026

    Read the SEC filing

Conferences for General Counsel leaders

Events tagged for Legal, with dates, cost and how to speak.

  • Diligent Elevate

    Apr 7 to Apr 9, 2027 · Orlando, FL

    Paid ticket. Early-bird pricing mentioned; amounts not shown on the page.

  • CLOC Global Institute

    May 10 to May 13, 2027 · Las Vegas, NV

    Ticket $945 to $995. CLOC member early rate $945 through Oct 31, 2026; academia, government and nonprofit $995; public…

    Open call for speakers

  • Society for Corporate Governance National Conference

    Jun 22 to Jun 25, 2027 · San Diego, CA

    Paid ticket. Registration opens February 2027; member rates will match 2026.

  • ACC Annual Meeting

    Oct 17 to Oct 20, 2027 · Minneapolis, MN

    Ticket $1,750 to $2,455. 2026 Boston rates shown (member $1,750-$2,020, nonmember $2,185-$2,455 by tier; nonmember price includes…

    Open call for speakers

  • Acquire or Be Acquired

    Feb 7 to Feb 9, 2027 · Phoenix, AZ

    Ticket $2,695 to $4,595. Early individual $2,695 (to Dec 11, 2026), standard $2,795; group 3+ $2,495/$2,595; non-banker…

  • COST Annual Meeting

    Sep 21 to Sep 24, 2027 · San Diego, CA

    Ticket $1,295 to $2,970. Member industry $1,295 early to $1,670 late; non-member practitioner up to $2,970; page has year typos,…

Showing 6 of 58 conferences, 58 with dates announced.

All conferences

Training for General Counsel leaders

AI and Legal courses from named providers, with cost shown.

All 8 Legal courses

Podcasts and media General Counsel leaders follow

Hand-picked, each checked to be live. Links go to the publisher.

  • Legal Talk Network

    Podcast · Legal Talk Network

    A network of podcasts on law, legal practice and legal news.

  • ABA Journal

    Publication · American Bar Association

    Legal news and features, with the Legal Rebels and Asked and Answered podcasts.

  • Above the Law

    Publication · Breaking Media

    Daily news and commentary on the legal profession.

  • Corporate Counsel

    Publication · ALM Global

    News on in-house legal work, from the Law.com network.

  • Artificial Lawyer

    Publication · Artificial Lawyer

    News and commentary on legal technology and AI in the legal sector.

  • Lawyerist

    Publication · Lawyerist Media

    Articles, product reviews and a podcast on running a law firm.

General Counsel questions

What does a General Counsel do?
The company’s legal work: contracts, litigation, regulatory exposure, corporate governance and advice to the board. Usually reports to the CEO.
What else is a General Counsel called?
The same job is also written GC, Chief Legal Officer, CLO, Chief Counsel, Head of Legal.
How many General Counsel jobs are open?
213 verified open General Counsel jobs, each checked against the employer’s own career site within the last week.
How much does a General Counsel make?
Among 59 open General Counsel listings that state pay, the median is $260,000 a year, and half of listings fall between $212,500 and $302,500. This is pay the employer advertises for the job, not total compensation such as bonus or equity.
Where are General Counsel jobs?
California (41), New York (39), Texas (20), Massachusetts (10) have the most open General Counsel listings. About 33% of listings that state a work arrangement are remote.
Which state pays a General Counsel the most?
Of the states with enough listings that state pay, California has the highest median at $280,000.
Which industries hire for General Counsel roles?
Technology & Software (30%), Government & Public Sector (11%), Financial Services & Banking (11%), Healthcare & Hospital Systems (10%), as a share of listings whose employer has a known industry.
What skills do General Counsel jobs ask for?
The skills named most often in open General Counsel listings are litigation, intellectual property, risk management, regulatory compliance, procurement.
Do General Counsel jobs ask for AI skills?
20% of 84 open General Counsel listings read in full name a specific AI skill. The most common is AI tools in daily work.

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