Average Corporate Counsel Salary in Germany for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Corporate Counsel salary for 2024 in Germany 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 Euro. To keep things simple, we are using the EUR currency code instead of the currency symbol โ‚ฌ.

How Much Does a Corporate Counsel Make in Germany?

A Corporate Counsel working in Germany will typically earn around 58,800 EUR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 29,540 EUR to the highest average salary of 97,060 EUR.

Average Annual Salary
58,800 EUR
Average Monthly Salary
4,900 EUR

Lowest Annual Salary
29,540 EUR
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,461 EUR

Highest Annual Salary
97,060 EUR
Highest Monthly Salary
8,088 EUR

These are average salaries for a Corporate Counsel in Germany 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 Germany

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Corporate Counsel can earn between 29,540 EUR and 97,060 EUR on average in Germany. 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 Germany is 64,200 EUR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 64,200 EUR, and 50% of the population earn more than 64,200 EUR.

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 Germany, 25% of the population are earning less than 40,600 EUR while 75% of the population earn more than 40,600 EUR.

75% of the population earn less than 88,260 EUR, and 25% of the population earn more than 88,260 EUR.

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 Germany

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 Germany that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 31,180 EUR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Corporate Counsel salary would increase to 42,040 EUR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Corporate Counsel, the average salary would be 63,700 EUR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 77,380 EUR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Corporate Counsel with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 83,420 EUR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Corporate Counsel with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 91,560 EUR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
31,180 EUR
2-5 Years +34%
42,040 EUR
5-10 Years +48%
63,700 EUR
10-15 Years +22%
77,380 EUR
15-20 Years +9%
83,420 EUR
20+ Years +8%
91,560 EUR

Corporate Counsel Salary by Education Level in Germany

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 Germany 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 Germany with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 37,620 EUR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Corporate Counsel in Germany with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 58,440 EUR.

  • Master's Degree. A Corporate Counsel in Germany with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 96,220 EUR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
37,620 EUR
Bachelor's Degree +57%
58,440 EUR
Master's Degree +68%
96,220 EUR

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 Germany is around 19,100 to 57,200 EUR 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 Germany, a male corporate counsel will earn an average of 63,700 EUR, while a female corporate counsel will earn around 60,400 EUR.

This means that a male corporate counsel earns approximately 5% more than a female corporate counsel for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Germany

Male
63,700 EUR
Female -5%
60,400 EUR

Corporate Counsel Average Pay Raise in Germany

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 Germany is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Germany is around 8% every 16 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 = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Corporate Counsel in Germany can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Germany for 2024

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

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

Banking
9%
Energy
9%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
9%
Travel
9%
Construction
9%
Education
9%

Corporate Counsel Bonus and Incentive Rates in Germany

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 37% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

63% 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
37%
No Bonus
63%

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 Germany earn approximately 8% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
48,200 EUR
Private Sector -8%
44,540 EUR

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 Germany.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 123,400 EUR
Arbitrator Legal 55,140 EUR
Associate Attorney Legal 57,320 EUR
Attorney Legal 85,440 EUR
Bailiff Legal 28,660 EUR
Barrister Legal 24,840 EUR
Candidate Attorney Legal 49,300 EUR
Conciliator Legal 43,520 EUR
Contracts Associate Legal 28,660 EUR
Contracts Manager Legal 51,340 EUR
Contracts Negotiator Legal 38,620 EUR
Contracts Specialist Legal 28,180 EUR
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 24,840 EUR
Counsel Legal 61,760 EUR
Court Clerk Legal 19,360 EUR
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 35,300 EUR
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 39,800 EUR
Court Reporter Legal 33,960 EUR
Court Representative Legal 27,300 EUR
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 112,600 EUR
General Counsel Legal 113,560 EUR
Immigration Executive Legal 56,460 EUR
In House Counsel Legal 58,440 EUR
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 41,180 EUR
Judge Advocate Legal 96,600 EUR
Law Clerk Legal 21,020 EUR
Lawyer Legal 88,240 EUR
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 25,220 EUR
Legal Advisor Legal 53,600 EUR
Legal Assistant Legal 21,980 EUR
Legal Associate Legal 38,680 EUR
Legal Consultant Legal 52,540 EUR
Legal Consultant Legal 54,140 EUR
Legal Counsel Legal 64,040 EUR
Legal Editor Legal 41,560 EUR
Legal Executive Legal 79,260 EUR
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 24,820 EUR
Legal IP Officer Legal 23,520 EUR
Legal Officer Legal 25,660 EUR
Legal Secretary Legal 23,260 EUR
Legal Services Director Legal 96,720 EUR
Legal Services Manager Legal 99,340 EUR
Legal Support Worker Legal 17,540 EUR
Legislative Liaison Legal 39,560 EUR
Litigation Attorney Legal 102,460 EUR
Litigation Paralegal Legal 49,560 EUR
Magistrate Judge Legal 129,000 EUR
Paralegal Legal 32,200 EUR
Patent Attorney Legal 67,300 EUR
Staff Attorney Legal 67,300 EUR

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Berlin 73,880 EUR
Bremen 58,860 EUR
Dortmund 63,500 EUR
Dresden 56,140 EUR
Dusseldorf 68,060 EUR
Essen 62,060 EUR
Frankfurt 64,180 EUR
Hamburg 67,300 EUR
Hannover 55,320 EUR
Koln 71,020 EUR
Leipzig 60,180 EUR
Munchen 67,320 EUR
Nurnberg 56,880 EUR
Stuttgart 62,860 EUR

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