Legal search firm Sartori & Partners has published its 2026 pay page for general counsel in Washington, D.C., and it is a reality check. Of 186 sitting GCs, CLOs and deputy GCs in its D.C. interview cohort who reported full cash packages, only 41% sat at or above the ACC national median total cash of $410,000. The rest cluster in policy nonprofits, mid-size contractors and one-lawyer shops, where base often runs $200,000 to $300,000.
So the eye-popping GC numbers are a public-company story, not a K Street one. Sartori also says closed offers landed about 7% below the candidate’s opening cash ask, and only about 40% came with a meaningful equity grant. Before you talk general counsel salary with anyone, read our in-house counsel salaries guide, then browse legal jobs in DC and General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer jobs.
“Only about two in five Washington GC employers in Sartori’s local offer book print packages at or above the ACC 2025 GC/CLO median total cash of $410,000—trade associations, many government contractors, and single-lawyer shops sit well below.”
Read: General Counsel Salary in Washington, District of Columbia (2026) at Sartori & Partners