2025 Recruiting Take-Aways for In-House Lawyers

I spoke on AABA’s recent career panel addressing the Bay Area in-house market with talent acquisition experts Angela Cheung (ex Uber) and Herman Gee (Exelixis). Here are 5 takeaways:

1. Pay for top in-house lawyers has generally been trending up, despite recent layoffs. This is in line with Levels.fyi's report on tech/engineering comp.
2. Compensation is made up of base, bonus, and equity. When you are negotiating comp, try to understand the company’s philosophy on compensation. For example, are they more equity-heavy? Do they aim for above-market base salaries? Find out (by asking nicely or doing research) which component they can move and where there is flexibility.
3. How many rounds of negotiation are acceptable? One is ok, maybe two. Any more than that will be viewed negatively.
4. What can you do to help your case for more compensation? Justify the numbers you are asking for, e.g., you are leaving behind bonus or equity, or you received other offers paying more. You can also explain why your level or skill warrants the amount desired, e.g., the skill is rare in the marketplace, you meet the criteria of the job description and are at the senior end of that level, or you have achieved the results elsewhere that the company is looking for.
5. To get raised/promoted, you need to self-advocate. Bonus is often based on a manager’s qualitative feedback, so you must explain your value. Help your manager justify ranking you as a top performer. Ask for feedback on how you can get to the next level, understand how your work fits into the company’s plans and priorities, and show how you can contribute to the team and exceed expectations.