Average Corporate Counsel Salary in China for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Corporate Counsel salary for 2024 in China and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Chinese yuan. To keep things simple, we are using the CNY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Corporate Counsel Make in China?

A Corporate Counsel working in China will typically earn around 518,300 CNY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 239,000 CNY to the highest average salary of 823,900 CNY.

Average Annual Salary
518,300 CNY
Average Monthly Salary
43,191 CNY

Lowest Annual Salary
239,000 CNY
Lowest Monthly Salary
19,916 CNY

Highest Annual Salary
823,900 CNY
Highest Monthly Salary
68,658 CNY

These are average salaries for a Corporate Counsel in China and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Corporate Counsel to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Corporate Counsel salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Corporate Counsel Salaries in China

So we've looked at the average salaries a Corporate Counsel will earn in China. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Corporate Counsel can earn between 239,000 CNY and 823,900 CNY on average in China. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Corporate Counsel in China is 559,000 CNY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 559,000 CNY, and 50% of the population earn more than 559,000 CNY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Corporate Counsel salary in China, 25% of the population are earning less than 359,900 CNY while 75% of the population earn more than 359,900 CNY.

75% of the population earn less than 744,600 CNY, and 25% of the population earn more than 744,600 CNY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Corporate Counsel Salary by Experience Level in China

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average corporate counsel salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Corporate Counsel in China that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 271,300 CNY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Corporate Counsel salary would increase to 361,600 CNY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Corporate Counsel, the average salary would be 531,700 CNY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 650,800 CNY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Corporate Counsel with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 707,700 CNY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Corporate Counsel with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 767,400 CNY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
271,300 CNY
2-5 Years +34%
361,600 CNY
5-10 Years +48%
531,700 CNY
10-15 Years +22%
650,800 CNY
15-20 Years +9%
707,700 CNY
20+ Years +8%
767,400 CNY

Corporate Counsel Salary by Education Level in China

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Corporate Counsel in China based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Corporate Counsel in China with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 309,800 CNY.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Corporate Counsel in China with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 483,800 CNY.

  • Master's Degree. A Corporate Counsel in China with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 810,200 CNY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
309,800 CNY
Bachelor's Degree +57%
483,800 CNY
Master's Degree +68%
810,200 CNY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in China is around 146,000 to 439,000 CNY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Corporate Counsel Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In China, a male corporate counsel will earn an average of 548,500 CNY, while a female corporate counsel will earn around 485,300 CNY.

This means that a male corporate counsel earns approximately 13% more than a female corporate counsel for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in China

Male
548,500 CNY
Female -13%
485,300 CNY

Corporate Counsel Average Pay Raise in China

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Corporate Counsel in China is around 12% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in China is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Corporate Counsel in China can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in China for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in China.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
8%
Energy
7%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
5%
Travel
4%
Construction
3%
Education
2%

Corporate Counsel Bonus and Incentive Rates in China

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Corporate Counsel is a low bonus based job, with 36% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

64% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
36%
No Bonus
64%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in China earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
362,200 CNY
Private Sector -6%
341,400 CNY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Corporate Counsel

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Corporate Counsel in China.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 970,200 CNY
Arbitrator Legal 430,000 CNY
Associate Attorney Legal 455,400 CNY
Attorney Legal 698,200 CNY
Bailiff Legal 221,500 CNY
Barrister Legal 174,000 CNY
Candidate Attorney Legal 396,300 CNY
Conciliator Legal 341,900 CNY
Contracts Associate Legal 212,500 CNY
Contracts Manager Legal 385,300 CNY
Contracts Negotiator Legal 330,700 CNY
Contracts Specialist Legal 221,500 CNY
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 190,500 CNY
Counsel Legal 492,700 CNY
Court Clerk Legal 159,500 CNY
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 252,300 CNY
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 308,900 CNY
Court Reporter Legal 257,700 CNY
Court Representative Legal 200,000 CNY
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 918,500 CNY
General Counsel Legal 851,200 CNY
Immigration Executive Legal 459,300 CNY
In House Counsel Legal 504,500 CNY
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 345,700 CNY
Judge Advocate Legal 727,400 CNY
Law Clerk Legal 159,400 CNY
Lawyer Legal 656,800 CNY
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 174,000 CNY
Legal Advisor Legal 415,900 CNY
Legal Assistant Legal 175,900 CNY
Legal Associate Legal 335,100 CNY
Legal Consultant Legal 431,300 CNY
Legal Consultant Legal 433,800 CNY
Legal Counsel Legal 522,700 CNY
Legal Editor Legal 325,800 CNY
Legal Executive Legal 618,800 CNY
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 187,300 CNY
Legal IP Officer Legal 172,200 CNY
Legal Officer Legal 207,700 CNY
Legal Secretary Legal 190,500 CNY
Legal Services Director Legal 795,700 CNY
Legal Services Manager Legal 823,900 CNY
Legal Support Worker Legal 129,000 CNY
Legislative Liaison Legal 340,000 CNY
Litigation Attorney Legal 832,100 CNY
Litigation Paralegal Legal 411,400 CNY
Magistrate Judge Legal 1,080,400 CNY
Paralegal Legal 265,000 CNY
Patent Attorney Legal 518,300 CNY
Staff Attorney Legal 544,800 CNY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in China, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Beijing 566,900 CNY
Changchun 459,700 CNY
Changsha 450,300 CNY
Chengdu 516,100 CNY
Chongqing 556,000 CNY
Dalian 447,300 CNY
Dongguan 454,900 CNY
Foshan 467,100 CNY
Fuzhou 466,900 CNY
Guangzhou 544,800 CNY
Hangzhou 548,800 CNY
Harbin 533,000 CNY
Jinan 510,300 CNY
Kunming 453,200 CNY
Nanjing 528,500 CNY
Qingdao 475,700 CNY
Quanzhou 464,400 CNY
Shanghai 576,500 CNY
Shantou 501,400 CNY
Shenyang 498,500 CNY
Shenzhen 492,700 CNY
Suzhou 492,700 CNY
Tianjin 507,300 CNY
Wenzhou 507,300 CNY
Wuhan 562,600 CNY
Wuxi 428,400 CNY
Xi an 547,800 CNY
Xiamen 440,200 CNY
Zhengzhou 424,300 CNY

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in China.

City Average Salary
Anhui 531,700 CNY
Beijing 455,400 CNY
Chongqing 455,400 CNY
Fujian 502,200 CNY
Gansu 478,000 CNY
Guangdong 555,800 CNY
Guangxi 524,300 CNY
Guizhou 499,300 CNY
Hainan 424,300 CNY
Hebei 555,800 CNY
Heilongjiang 513,300 CNY
Henan 553,400 CNY
Hubei 543,200 CNY
Hunan 518,900 CNY
Jiangsu 547,800 CNY
Jiangxi 528,500 CNY
Jilin 453,200 CNY
Liaoning 510,000 CNY
Nei Monggol 475,700 CNY
Ningxia 419,400 CNY
Qinghai 428,400 CNY
Shaanxi 514,800 CNY
Shandong 556,000 CNY
Shanghai 460,500 CNY
Shanxi 460,500 CNY
Sichuan 552,400 CNY
Tianjin 451,000 CNY
Xinjiang Uygur 430,000 CNY
Xizang [Tibet] 419,400 CNY
Yunnan 535,800 CNY
Zhejiang 513,300 CNY

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