Guide · For companies
How much does a general counsel search cost?
A general counsel search costs 25 to 30 percent of the hire's total first-year compensation: about $72,000 for a Series B first general counsel up to $390,000 for a mid-cap listed general counsel. Thirty percent of the fee is paid at engagement, and replacement is guaranteed for 12 months.
How much does a general counsel search cost in dollars?
Between about $72,000 and $390,000 for most US companies: 25 to 30 percent of the general counsel's total first-year compensation, which moves with company stage.
| Company stage | Total first-year compensation | Search fee (25-30%) | Retainer at engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series B-C, first general counsel | $288,000 - $476,000 | $72,000 - $142,800 | $21,600 - $42,840 |
| Growth-stage / pre-IPO | $390,000 - $672,000 | $97,500 - $201,600 | $29,250 - $60,480 |
| PE-backed portfolio company | $350,000 - $630,000 | $87,500 - $189,000 | $26,250 - $56,700 |
| Mid-cap listed company | $720,000 - $1,300,000 | $180,000 - $390,000 | $54,000 - $117,000 |
| Large-cap listed company (base only) | $650,000 - $1,100,000 base | $162,500 - $330,000 + bonus | $48,750 - $99,000 + bonus |
| London, first general counsel (base only) | £140,000 - £220,000 base | £35,000 - £66,000 + bonus | £10,500 - £19,800 + bonus |
| Dubai (DIFC) general counsel (base only) | $220,000 - $380,000 base | $55,000 - $114,000 + bonus | $16,500 - $34,200 + bonus |
Bands (base / target bonus): Series B-C $240,000-$340,000 / 20-40%; growth-stage $300,000-$420,000 / 30-60%; PE-backed $280,000-$420,000 / 25-50%; mid-cap listed $450,000-$650,000 / 60-100%; large-cap listed base $650,000-$1.1 million. London and DIFC are stated as base only; any bonus is added to the fee base.
Source: Sartori & Partners general counsel compensation bands and engagement terms, 2026.
The engagement letter names one compensation figure, and the fee becomes one dollar number before anyone is called. How retained and contingency fees work across law firms and companies is in how much legal recruiters charge. The search fee is not the cost of employing the general counsel: salary, bonus, equity and benefits are in how much a general counsel costs, and pay by seat is in general counsel salary 2026.
What does a typical general counsel search cost? A worked example.
A first general counsel at $300,000 base with a 30 percent target bonus costs $97,500 to $117,000 to find, with $29,250 to $35,100 paid at engagement.
| Line | At 25% | At 30% |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $300,000 | $300,000 |
| Target bonus (30%) | $90,000 | $90,000 |
| Total first-year compensation | $390,000 | $390,000 |
| Search fee | $97,500 | $117,000 |
| Retainer at engagement (30% of fee) | $29,250 | $35,100 |
| Balance, on the letter's dates | $68,250 | $81,900 |
Source: Arithmetic on Sartori & Partners 2026 bands and engagement terms.
If equity is counted in the letter, the fee rises with it; if it is excluded, it does not. If an interim general counsel ran first, days already billed are credited against this fee, not added to it.
When is the fee paid, and what if the search is cancelled?
Thirty percent of the fee is paid when the engagement letter is signed and is kept if the company cancels; the balance follows the dates in that letter.
The retainer funds the mapping and outreach that start in week 1. The fee percentage, the compensation figure it applies to, the replacement window and the off-limits are all in the letter before outreach. Every search we run is retained; there is no contingency option. The complete contract terms, including off-limits and interim credit, are on our in-house search terms.
What does a general counsel search fee pay for?
A mapped market of sitting general counsel and deputies, private outreach, assessed dossiers, offer negotiation and 90-day check-ins after the start.
- Week 1: Mandate Blueprint. The seat, the reporting line, the compensation figure and the letter.
- Weeks 1-2: total-market mapping. Every plausible sitting general counsel and deputy, not only people applying.
- Weeks 2-4: private outreach. Blind both ways until mutual interest; no CV leaves us without written consent.
- Weeks 3-4: shortlist with assessment dossiers. Names a board can interview.
- Weeks 5-9: interviews and offer. References, counter-offer risk and package structure.
- After the start: 90-day check-ins, inside the 12-month replacement window.
The step-by-step method is in how to run a general counsel search; the service is general counsel search, and for a company's first legal hire, first general counsel search.
How long does a general counsel search take?
A shortlist in 24 days on average and an accepted offer in 11 weeks at the median, range 8 to 16, across 52 general counsel and chief legal officer searches since 2017.
| Measure | General counsel / CLO search |
|---|---|
| Fee | 25-30% of total first-year compensation, retained only |
| Retainer | 30% of the fee at engagement, kept on cancellation |
| Shortlist | 24 days on average |
| Accepted offer | 11 weeks median (range 8-16) |
| Replacement guarantee | 12 months from start |
| Still in post | 97% at 12 months, 91% at 24 months (placed in-house leaders) |
| Base | n=52 GC/CLO searches, 2017-2026 |
Source: Sartori & Partners track record, 2017-2026.
A NASDAQ-listed medtech company in Boston ran a confidential succession on this clock: four dossiers on day 24, accepted offer in week 11 (Boston general counsel succession). A venture-backed SaaS company in California hired its first general counsel with a shortlist on day 24 and an accepted offer in week 10 (California first general counsel). Other in-house seats run on their own clocks: a chief compliance officer for an NYSE-listed payments company in New York (shortlist in week 3, accepted offer in week 10), a deputy general counsel for a PE-backed industrial group in Houston (18 days, week 8), a head of legal operations for a listed software group in Austin (21 days, week 9), and an interim general counsel for a Series C fintech in San Francisco, live on day 6.
The shortlist arrived in just over three weeks and every name could already sit with our board. The person we hired is still in post two years later.
What does the 12-month guarantee cover?
If the placed general counsel leaves the role within 12 months of starting, we rerun the search without a second fee.
Three events are not a replacement: a promotion into a larger role, a carve-out the board designed, and a sale that retires the seat. Read the window against the retention figures: 97 percent of placed in-house leaders are in post at 12 months and 91 percent at 24 months, so six of the nine points lost by month 24 fall after the guarantee ends. A board that wants a longer window writes it into the letter. We also never recruit from the client's legal department for 24 months after the mandate.
- 12 months
- replacement window on a general counsel search
- Sartori & Partners engagement terms
- 97%
- placed in-house leaders in post at 12 months
- Sartori & Partners, 2017-2026
- 91%
- in post at 24 months
- Sartori & Partners, 2017-2026
Questions companies ask about general counsel search costs.
How much does a general counsel search cost?
A retained general counsel search costs 25 to 30 percent of the hire's total first-year compensation: about $72,000 to $390,000 for most US companies, from a Series B first general counsel to a mid-cap listed general counsel. Thirty percent of the fee is paid at engagement. Replacement is guaranteed for 12 months.
Is the fee a percentage of base salary or of total compensation?
Of total first-year compensation: base plus the target bonus the letter names. Equity is in or out only if the letter says so. A $300,000 base with a 30 percent target bonus is $390,000 of total first-year compensation, so the fee is $97,500 to $117,000.
Is the retainer refunded if we cancel the search?
No. The retainer is 30 percent of the fee, paid when the letter is signed, and it is kept if the company cancels at any stage. The balance follows the dates written in the engagement letter. Our full terms are on in-house search fees, guarantee and off-limits.
How long is the replacement guarantee on a general counsel search?
Twelve months from the hire's start date on general counsel, chief legal officer and chief compliance officer searches. If the placed lawyer leaves the role inside the window, we rerun the search without a second fee. Promotion into a larger role is not a replacement event.
How long does a general counsel search take?
A shortlist in 24 days on average and an accepted offer in 11 weeks at the median, range 8 to 16 weeks, across 52 general counsel and chief legal officer searches since 2017.
Does a Fortune 500 general counsel search cost more?
The percentage is the same; the compensation it applies to is larger. Large-cap listed general counsel base runs $650,000 to $1.1 million, so 25 to 30 percent of base alone is $162,500 to $330,000 before any bonus the letter counts. Proxy-disclosed total pay is a different number: see general counsel pay at the largest US-listed companies.
What does an interim general counsel cost while the search runs?
Interim general counsel cover is a day rate, $1,800 to $3,200 a day in the US, not a percentage of salary (interim general counsel day rates). Days billed are credited against the retained fee if the company then runs the permanent search. Across 60+ interim and fractional engagements, the median start is 7 days from first call.
Where these figures come from.
Every dollar figure is arithmetic on our 2026 general counsel compensation bands and our engagement terms; the clocks are our 2017-2026 track record.
Market fees, our terms, and the search itself.
Legal recruiter and executive search fees
How much legal recruiters charge law firms and companies, who pays, and retained versus contingency.
Read the market overviewOur in-house search terms
Fee, retainer kept on cancellation, 12- and 6-month replacement, 24-month off-limits, interim credit.
Read the termsGeneral counsel search
The retained search the fee pays for: brief, map, shortlist, offer, for a general counsel or chief legal officer.
See the serviceFor founders, chief executives and boards
Get the fee for your general counsel search in writing.
Tell us the seat and the compensation. We send the letter: one fee figure, 30 percent at engagement, 12-month replacement, before anyone is called.