Hiring for Legal & Compliance in Mainland China
The 2025 Legal & Compliance market in China is characterised by low activity and a focus on cost control, with recruitment cycles lengthening to 3–6 months.
Simultaneously, the outbound expansion of Chinese enterprises continues to drive selective demand for legal professionals with cross-border investment and trade compliance expertise.
In-Demand Legal & Compliance Roles in Mainland China
- General Counsels
- (Senior) Legal Counsels
- Employment Counsels
- Compliance Directors
- Data Privacy Counsels
- Trade Compliance
In-Demand Legal & Compliance Skills in Mainland China
- Corporate legal or compliance business partnering
- Corporate investigation
- Data privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment law
Up, Down, or Flat? Legal & Compliance Salary Trends in Mainland China
Overall salary levels are stable, with employers cautious about fixed costs, which has moderated pay progression.
Job-change uplifts of up to 20% are now strictly reserved for candidates with scarce compliance skill sets or international expertise.
Highly regulated sectors remain more willing to offer flexible and competitive compensation to secure critical legal capacity.
Legal & Compliance salaries in Mainland China
| Job Title |
Search job title
|
Sub Sector | Location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job Title | Sector | Sub Sector | Location | Low | Average | High |
Entry Level - Corporate Legal / Compliance |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥100,000 | ¥180,000 | ¥250,000 | |
Junior Counsel - Corporate Legal / Compliance |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥200,000 | ¥300,000 | ¥450,000 | |
Mid-Level - Corporate Legal / Compliance |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥300,000 | ¥450,000 | ¥600,000 | |
Senior Counsel - Corporate Legal / Compliance |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥600,000 | ¥800,000 | ¥1,200,000 | |
Director - Corporate Legal / Compliance |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥1,200,000 | ¥1,500,000 | ¥1,800,000 | |
VP / SVP / General Counsel |
Corporate Legal & Compliance | Shanghai | ¥1,500,000 | ¥2,500,000 | ¥5,000,000 | |
Junior IP Counsel |
IP | Shanghai | ¥150,000 | ¥250,000 | ¥350,000 | |
Mid - Level IP |
IP | Shanghai | ¥300,000 | ¥550,000 | ¥800,000 | |
Senior IP Counsel |
IP | Shanghai | ¥600,000 | ¥900,000 | ¥1,200,000 | |
IP Director |
IP | Shanghai | ¥1,000,000 | ¥1,400,000 | ¥1,800,000 | |
Head of IP |
IP | Shanghai | ¥1,200,000 | ¥1,800,000 | ¥2,500,000 | |
1st Year Associate - New York Rate New York Rate New York Rate |
Private Practice | New York Rate | Shanghai | $225,000 | $235,000 | $245,000 |
3rd Year Associate - New York Rate New York Rate New York Rate |
Private Practice | New York Rate | Shanghai | $260,000 | $289,000 | $317,500 |
5th Year Associate - New York Rate New York Rate New York Rate |
Private Practice | New York Rate | Shanghai | $365,000 | $410,000 | $455,000 |
7th Year Associate - New York Rate New York Rate New York Rate |
Private Practice | New York Rate | Shanghai | $420,000 | $477,500 | $535,000 |
1st Year Associate - Non US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms |
Private Practice | Non - US International Law Firms | Shanghai | ¥400,000 | ¥600,000 | ¥800,000 |
3rd Year Associate - Non US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms |
Private Practice | Non - US International Law Firms | Shanghai | ¥500,000 | ¥700,000 | ¥1,000,000 |
5th Year Associate - Non US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms |
Private Practice | Non - US International Law Firms | Shanghai | ¥600,000 | ¥900,000 | ¥1,200,000 |
7th Year Associate - Non US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms Non - US International Law Firms |
Private Practice | Non - US International Law Firms | Shanghai | ¥900,000 | ¥1,200,000 | ¥1,600,000 |
1st Year Associate - Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms |
Private Practice | Leading Local Firms | Shanghai | ¥200,000 | ¥300,000 | ¥400,000 |
3rd Year Associate - Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms |
Private Practice | Leading Local Firms | Shanghai | ¥300,000 | ¥400,000 | ¥500,000 |
5th Year Associate - Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms |
Private Practice | Leading Local Firms | Shanghai | ¥400,000 | ¥500,000 | ¥700,000 |
7th Year Associate - Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms |
Private Practice | Leading Local Firms | Shanghai | ¥600,000 | ¥700,000 | ¥1,000,000 |
Counsel / Salary Partner Leading Local Firms Leading Local Firms |
Private Practice | Leading Local Firms | Shanghai | ¥800,000 | ¥1,000,000 | ¥1,300,000 |
