Compensation increases for in-house lawyers in the UK

A survey conducted by Incomes Data Services, reported in Legal Week, Vol. 10, Jan. 24, 2008 at 3, found that the average salary for UK in-house lawyers was £114,658 (roughly $200,000). That average figure increased 6.8% from the corresponding figure the year before.

Two points. First, since compensation accounts for around three-quarters of the a typical law department’s internal budget, the upward pressure on that budget would have been in the same range. Second, if you tack on a benefits load of 25 percent and other overhead costs of 15 percent, at 1,850 chargeable hours per year (See my post of Feb. 17, 2008: that standard may be too high.) means an average of $151 an hour.