2015 ACC Global In-house Census - Executive Summary

Between March and May 2015, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) conducted a census study to profile the corporate, in-house legal profession. In total, 5,012 in-house counsel from 73 countries participated in the survey. ACC conducted this census to create a demographic portrait of in-house counsel around the world. This study explores key areas of interest among in-house lawyers such as career history and mobility, corporate climate and culture, incidences and impact of mergers and acquisitions, usage of outside law firms and the personal demographic details of individual in-house counsel. Wherever possible, ACC has provided data on trends over time. The information contained in this Executive Summary of Key Findings and the full report provides useful data for corporate legal departments, law firms and legal industry partners, such as recruiters, knowledge management consultants and litigation support providers as they seek to adjust to environmental changes affecting corporate practice. Legal work continues to shift among law firms, legal service providers and in-house law departments. Lawyers today need more than legal skills; they also benefit from cultivating emotional intelligence, business acumen and the ability to build solid relationships. With ongoing shifts in global markets, volatility in global security and profits and an increase in merger and acquisition activity, cultural fluency has also become vital for lawyers to succeed. Partnerships between firms and legal departments have a renewed focus on value. And the flow of lawyers making the switch from firms to in-house departments has increased, as firm lawyers seek the balance and the in-depth business involvement that an in-house career offers. This report provides opportunities for both in-house and outside counsel to better understand the landscape of the corporate legal field on topics including compensation, turnover and trends in outside counsel usage. For purposes of this report, references to in-house counsel, counsel, lawyers and corporate lawyers refer to in-house counsel who participated in the survey unless otherwise noted. References to salary and total compensation are made in US dollars or in weighted dollars (Purchasing Power Parity or PPP) to account for the different costs associated with working and living in different countries. We include weighted (PPP) base salary and total compensation data because a simple comparison of the respondents’ income across countries would be misleading. Using the PPP conversation, income data was in effect “equalized” across countries to enable accurate comparisons via adjustment using purchasing power parity (PPP).1 INTRODUCTION B