Thinking of moving abroad to work in-house? Brazil may be your best bet, according to a new survey (pdf) of in-house salaries around the world by the international legal recruiting firm Laurence Simons.
There’s been a huge influx of law firms into Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and that’s pushing up salaries for both in-house lawyers and those in private practice.
“Lawyers with solid experience in corporate banking, compliance and tax are the most in demand and able to command a premium to move in the current climate,” said Pedro Amaral Dinkhuysen, Laurence Simons’ Latin American managing partner.
Two years ago, in-house jobs were lucrative and plentiful in the Middle East and Russia, according to the survey, which analyzed the salaries of more than 14,000 in-house lawyers over the last six years.
Over the last four years, salaries for in-house lawyers in Russia increased more than in any other county in the world. The average pay for those with two years of experience jumped 81 percent after 2004, from €25,000 ($30,963) to €45,250 ($56,043) today.
“By 2004, the concept of an internationally staffed in-house legal department had become accepted by local Russian companies keen to float on the international stock exchanges,” said Meeta Dutt, Laurence Simons’ manager for Russia, Central and Eastern Europe.
Dubai has had its share of well-publicized economic woes since the recession. But salaries for in-house lawyers haven’t suffered. In the Middle East, pay for those with five years of experience rose 41 percent, from €123,000 ($152,329) in 2008 to €173,000 ($214,203) today.
Despite such gains, the boom is over in both Russia and the Middle East. “Candidates with good international experience are still demanding high salaries,” Dutt said. “But looking to the future, the expectations of huge pay increases so common in the boom years have been consigned to history.”
via Global Survey of In-House Lawyers Shows Where the Money Is.
