Women GCs Making It Rain in 2017
Let's face it, counsel: it is about the money.
Especially when it comes to compensation, few professions rank as high as the legal profession in bowing to the almighty dollar. Make that at least a million dollars.
The homage goes for men and women alike, but this post is just about female lawyers. Here's to the highest-paid women general counsel:
A Tough Job
In-house jobs are often perceived as cushy because corporate attorneys are not slaves to the billable hour. The pay isn't bad either.
According to Corporate Counsel, Denise Keane of Altria Group, Inc. brought home a little over $9 million this year. Altria is a leader in the tobacco industry; it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
American Express general counsel Laureen Seeger came in second with $6,193,000. After that, the pay packages drop significantly but the fall doesn't hurt.
Maryanne Lavan of Lockheed Martin, $2,791,248; Laura Schumacher of AbbeVie, Inc., $2,605,369; and Marianne Short of United Health Group, $2,598,100.
Not to Mention
A handful of others made the $2 million club this year, followed by mere $1 millionaires. But it is good evidence that the glass ceiling for women in the corporate world has been cracked, if not blown.
However, women and other minorities are still scarce among corporate counsel. According to the Minority Counsel Association, barely 11% of general counsel are minorities.
About 22% of those minorities are white women, and 5% are women of color. The good news is that Kim Rivera of Hewlett-Packard rounds out the 10 spot among top earners.
She made $1,893,254 this year.
Related Resources:
- Good News, Bad News for Women Lawyers in 2017 (FindLaw's Strategist)
- Women GCs Leading Fortune 500 Companies on the Rise (FindLaw's In House)
- Will More Millennials Take In House Jobs? (FindLaw's In House)