Corporate lawyers are among the most in-demand professionals in our country, thanks to the unique skillset and expertise of such professionals.
When you plan a career in law, curiosity about the general lawyer salary in the country is very normal. The lawyer salary, or specifically, the lawyer salary in India, depends on a lot of parameters and has no single figure as an answer.
In order to find the answer to how much does a lawyer earn in India, one has to look into all of those parameters and get an estimation. The first and foremost parameter would be the category of the lawyer. Whether they are corporate lawyers, patent attorneys, criminal defense lawyers, and so forth. Compared to the other types, the salary of a corporate lawyer is usually on the higher side.
However, the best way to determine how much in-demand a job really is through checking how much pay it offers. The average salary of lawyer in India depends on several factors ranging from the high demand in a specific location to the level of experience a lawyer brings to the table. Thus, to help you in understanding the demand of corporate lawyers in India, we have prepared the following article on corporate lawyer salary in India.
Let’s get started:
What is the Average Corporate Lawyer Salary in India?
Take a look at the given figures based on the salary of a lawyer in India to understand how the salary figure works for lawyers based in India. These are estimated ranges of figures which are prone to change lawyer salary in India per month with a change in the company and their offered salary packages.
The average corporate lawyer’s salary in India is INR 6.9 Lakh per annum. Freshers in this field earn around INR 1.47 Lakh per annum on average. This figure depends on the base salary, shared profit, and the received bonus.
Corporate lawyers are in evergreen demand because of the unique nature of their skill. Organizations of various sectors require the expertise of corporate lawyers to help them get through legal problems. It’s certainly one of the most sought-after professions and as the number of companies in India is increasing, the demand for corporate lawyers is increasing accordingly.
This might have given a rough idea of how much a lawyer earn in India, mainly a corporate one. However, there are many layers in determining a corporate lawyer salary in India.
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Job Description of Corporate Lawyer
The job description plays a major role in determining the salary of a corporate lawyer and how much a lawyer earn in India. The more responsibilities they take, the higher their pay gets.
Corporate lawyers will guide any company to run under the norms of the legal jurisdiction. They can work in-house, as a consultant, or even as advocates, policymakers, and researchers.
From major operational decisions to new mergers to even cases against a company or business deals, corporate lawyers will be needed to set the parameters well. This field has emerged only recently and thus has hordes of opportunities as well as growth options.
Corporate law offers immense potential to make it big, given the immense scope involved. If you have the mettle and are also hardworking and thorough in Business Law and sub-areas such as Investment Law, Financial Law, Human Rights, Diligence, Compliance, Environmental Law, IP Laws, Insurance Law, Constitutional Law, and International Trade Law; you can make a plunge in the field of corporate law. This prominently serves as the reason why the salary of a lawyer in India substantially grows with time.
Primarily, corporate lawyers advise their clients in business transactions, defend them in lawsuits, claim liability, advise on prosecutions, obligations, and legal rights. They handle all the aspects of corporate law which consists of legal tasks pertaining to the formation, management, and administration of a company (or an entity similar to a company).
Common examples of such enterprises include LLCs (limited liability companies), partnerships, etc. They are responsible for assisting in formatting the new company which requires the filing of various legal documents related to incorporation and ensuring that the company meets all the local, state, and federal regulations.
After the formation of a company, the corporate lawyer would advise the business on handling transactions with other corporations for helping the same comply with the regulations.
Corporate lawyers represent their clients in court or before government organizations. They are responsible for presenting and summarizing these cases to judges. In this process, the corporate lawyer might have to collect evidence, evaluate all the findings, and create strategies to present the case.
They assist their companies in licensing new technologies and handling any legal issues that may arise. Corporate lawyers have to plan and advise their clients on corporate mergers, large deals, and acquisitions. Due to the unique requirements of their role, corporate lawyers must be experts at the corporate law of their country, state, and locality. They must be familiar with the various rules and regulations related to company formation, compliance, transactions, and other related aspects.
Corporate lawyers have to meet judges, argue motions, analyze laws, question witnesses and interpret regulations with probable case outcomes during a trial. Clearly, they require strong oration and interpersonal skills.
While corporate lawyers work in business hours they might have to work overtime because of the hectic nature of their role and during large transactions, legal cases, or mergers. They work with other legal team members such as patent lawyers to prepare their cases or ensure everything goes smoothly. The upper management of a company relies on the corporate lawyer to assist them with regulatory problems and corporate strategies.
As a corporate lawyer is responsible for meeting with regulators and government agencies, they might have to travel sometimes although the role doesn’t require much traveling. However, a lot of work conditions depend on the kind of enterprise they work with. For example, if your corporation has a lot of satellite offices, you might have to travel frequently.
Getting the top corporate lawyer salary in India depends on a lot of factors. We have discussed the most important determining factors of corporate lawyer salary in India in the next section.
According to a survey by Gallup, despite the scarcity in start-up practice from the lawyers’ end, 60% of lawyers in corporate departments have entrepreneurial ambitions.
To become a corporate lawyer, you have to-
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- Complete a bachelor’s degree in law or a related field
- Complete a relevant internship
- Apply for a license from the relevant Bar Association
- Network, work on gaining experience, and work developing a resume.
Factors Affecting Corporate Lawyer Salary in India
There isn’t any one-rule-fits-all norm for deciding upon how much does a lawyer earn in India. Your background, credentials, and performance at law school matter at the outset as does your experience and the firm you are seeking employment at to decide the salary of lawyer in India!
1. Location
How much do lawyers earn in India greatly varies with their working location. Your location plays a huge role in determining how much you make as a corporate lawyer. Some locations offer salaries higher than the national average while some places offer less than the average pay. It’s important to know which kind of place you live in to calculate your potential earnings in this field.
Corporate lawyers in Chennai earn around 99.9% more than the national average. Similarly, corporate lawyers in Bangalore and New Delhi earn 41% and 17.5% higher than the average wages respectively.
Then there are locations that offer less than average pay such as Kolkata, where corporate lawyers earn 67.5% less than the national median. Other locations that offer less than average salaries include Pune (57%) and Ahmedabad (29%).
Skills
Another notable factor that affects your corporate lawyer’s salary in India is the skills you have. The unique nature of this role requires you to have a strong grasp on certain skills, especially law-related.
According to the statistics, corporate lawyers with certain skills in their arsenal earn significantly more than others. For example, corporate lawyers with corporate governance skills earn 131% more than the average. Other beneficial skills for these professionals include Mergers and Acquisitions which offers 23% higher pay than the average and Contract Management which offers 70% more than the median pay.
If you want to get lucrative pay then you must focus on developing the most in-demand skills such as Corporate Governance and Contract Management. They will help you get a high-paying job in this field very easily.
Experience
Wondering how much does a lawyer earn in India? Here is a peek at the average salary of lawyer in India and the factors affecting it.
One of the most influential factors in determining your pay is the amount of professional experience you have.
Freshers in this field with less than a year’s experience earn INR 5.11 lakh per annum on average. Corporate lawyers with one to four years of experience earn around INR 5.82 lakh per annum on average.
However, after a certain level of experience, your pay in this field increases substantially. Corporate lawyers with a significant amount of experience (five to nine years) make INR 14.5 lakh per annum on average. This figure stays relatively the same as you gain more experience.
It’s clear that as you gain more experience in this sector, your pay increases accordingly. Percentage-wise, freshers in this field earn 26% less than the median whereas late-career professionals in this sector earn 111% more than the median.
Employer
When calculating what the average lawyer salary in India per month is, remember that experience with a reputed employer is one crucial parameter that dictates the average salary of lawyer in India and abroad.
Finally, a significant influencer of your pay as a corporate lawyer is who you work for. Corporate lawyers can work in various industries as their expertise can be used in nearly all sectors.
Companies of all fields have to ensure they follow all the regulations and want to avoid legal issues. Apart from working directly with a company, a corporate lawyer might work in a law firm alongside several other lawyers.
Different employers offer different salaries such as Lexlit Advocates and Solicitors, a law firm, offers up to INR 48,000 to corporate lawyers while EXL Service offers up to INR 62,000.
Indian Law Firms that Pay the Highest Lawyer Salary in India:
How much do lawyers earn in India also depends on the law firm they are associated with. Top law firms in India can pay up to INR 14 lakh per annum to their employees. Apart from high remuneration these law firms also provide a great opportunity of grooming and prepare their employees to become experts and serve their valuable clients worldwide. These law firms extend the valuable experience to fresher candidates. Below are some of the top law firms for corporate lawyers that heavily influence how much does a lawyer earn in India.
1. Khaitan and Co.
Found back in 1911, Khaitan and Co is India’s one of the oldest top law firms. The firm has more than 115 partners. The practice area of the firm includes banking and finance, competition law, dispute resolution, corporate, capital markets, energy, hospitality, infrastructure, intellectual property, funds, labour and employment, infrastructure and resources, and various other fields such as technology, and media, taxation etc.
The firm has several national and international clients and has won the prize of being the best law firm of the year.
The average salary of a legal associate with an experience of 1 to 5 years in this firm is around INR 10 lakhs per annum.
2. Sahrdul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co
This law firm is considered to be the current largest law firm in India with its offices being across several cities of the country, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Gurugram.
The firm has a global client base with more than 110 partners all around the world. The firm has also won the “Innovation in Legal expertise” title.
An associate with an experience between 1 to 5 years can earn an average of 17 lakhs per annum by working for this firm. The remuneration of associates with experience between 1 to 6 years ranges anywhere between INR 12 lakhs to INR 22 lakhs per annum.
3. Trilegal India
Trilegal India is one of the top law firms in India that has employed more than three hundred lawyers across India in the four major cities, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Gurgaon.
The firm mainly deals with real estate, infrastructure, energy, technology, and information technology fields. The firm is known for providing a great environment of analytical thinking for budding lawyers.
As a fresher of 0 to 1 year, one can get paid an average of INR 14.8 lakh per annum. A legal associate’s salary at Trilegal India ranges from INR 13 lakhs to INR 16 lakhs per annum.
4. Desai & Dewanji
Established in 1930, Desai & Dewanji is one of India’s oldest law firms and is widely popular for its high salary structure. The firm primarily deals with clients that are from the field of banking and finance, project and infrastructure, capital market, corporate problems and dispute resolution.
The firm is located in three major cities of the country, Mumbai, Delhi and Gurgram. The firm has more than 24 partners and a tidal of more than 185 lawyers across its offices.
A legal intern can earn an average of INR 2 lakh per annum by working for the company. Whereas legal associates with an experience between 2 to 6 years can earn anywhere between INR 7.2lakhs to INR 9.7 lakhs per annum.
5. Vaish Associates
Founded in 1971, Vaish Associates is a full-service law firm that deals with both national and internal clients. The company has its three major companies in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi, where New Delhi is the headquarters. However, the law firm also provides support in several other metropolitan cities.
The firm gained its popularity by dealing in the fields of taxation, corporate, banking and finance, etc. Currently, the company has more than a dozen of partners and hundreds of associates working across the globe.
Associate trainees in the company get paid an average of INR 4 lakhs per annum. Whereas associates and Senior Associates with experience between 1 to 7 years earn an average of INR 9.1 to 9.2 lakhs per annum.
How to Get the Top Corporate Lawyer Salary in India?
As we discussed in the previous section, your corporate lawyer’s salary in India depends on several factors. However, out of all of those factors, the one you control the most is the skills you have. By increasing the in-demand skills you have, you can enhance the amount you can make. Moreover, we have already seen how certain skills enhance your pay by a huge margin.
There are multiple methods to develop such skills. However, the most efficient method to learn the most in-demand skills is through taking a course. Taking such a course would ensure that you learn all the necessary skills for this role and get the highest chance of earning the top corporate lawyer salary in India.
Conclusion
As you can see, pursuing a career in corporate law is certainly a smart choice. Not only is this role well-respected but it’s also very lucrative and offers tons of growth opportunities. Of course, it is an intensive field that makes you keep engaged in constant study and pressure-laced deadlines too! But the offered average salary of a lawyer in India and the added reputation often lead people to feel an inclination towards this path, which is completely worth it if the candidate is willing to put in the work!
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Who are corporate lawyers?
A corporate lawyer, usually referred to as a company lawyer, handles a variety of legal matters pertaining to corporate business procedures. He/she frequently takes care of the client's commercial, legal, and financial needs. A corporate lawyer can be in charge of corporation taxation or evaluate and supervise mergers and acquisitions. As a corporate lawyer, you frequently draft company contracts, examine financial records for commercial transactions, and handle routine legal business issues. When required, corporate attorneys also represent their clients and companies in court.
What is the scope for corporate lawyers?
As people, businesses, and governments seek knowledgeable legal counsel and direction on numerous aspects of domestic and international business, there is an increasing need for corporate attorneys, and this demand is only expected to grow in the future. International commercial transactions have increased dramatically as a result of globalisation and a rise in outbound investments. Corporate entities may manage all facets of corporate operations and ethics with the aid of legal competence. You can work for the government or other business sectors, such as retailing, advertising, travel, tourism, finance, or technology, as a corporate lawyer. Employers for the job are flexible, and one may work as an in-house counsel for a company or as an associate or partner with a legal firm.
What are the qualifications to become a corporate lawyer?
As it offers a wide range of opportunities in almost every industry and competitive compensation, corporate law is a desirable career choice. After completing your 10+2, you can enroll in a five-year LL.B program to become a corporate lawyer. Additionally, you can get a graduate degree in any field before pursuing an LL.B. After that, you can choose to focus on corporate law or pursue a Master's degree in corporate law. A strong skill set and qualifications for this demanding employment sector may also include emotional intelligence, communication, self-confidence, and mental clarity.
