A new analysis from LawCrossing highlights which companies in the United States employ the largest number of in-house attorneys—a critical insight for legal professionals seeking to understand where the biggest corporate legal teams operate.
Learn more from this report: The Largest Employers of In-House Attorneys
According to the report, the financial services and banking industries continue to dominate as the largest employers of in-house lawyers, largely due to their extensive regulatory obligations and the complexity of their global operations. These institutions manage a wide array of legal issues, from mergers and acquisitions to cybersecurity, compliance, and emerging fintech regulations.
Leading the list is JPMorgan Chase & Co., with an estimated 1,100 in-house attorneys and a total legal department of around 2,000 professionals. Close behind is Bank of America, which employs roughly 850 in-house lawyers within a team of about 1,500. Citigroup Inc. ranks third, with approximately 800 attorneys supporting its global operations. These figures underscore the significant investment that major financial institutions are making in legal and compliance expertise.
Beyond the top three, other institutions such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley also maintain large internal legal departments, each employing hundreds of attorneys. The report notes that even mid-sized financial firms now employ between 150 and 400 in-house lawyers to handle increasingly sophisticated regulatory requirements.
LawCrossing’s findings illustrate that the financial services sector has one of the highest attorney-to-revenue ratios across industries. This reflects not only the complexity of compliance demands but also the growing scope of legal responsibilities—ranging from privacy and digital asset regulation to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.
The data further reveal an evolution in how in-house legal teams are structured. Many institutions now organize their departments by business units—such as retail banking, investment banking, or wealth management—while others focus on functional specialties like litigation, mergers and acquisitions, or regulatory affairs.
From a career perspective, this report highlights significant opportunities for attorneys considering in-house roles. Companies are seeking lawyers with both traditional legal expertise and technical or financial acumen, particularly in areas like data protection, fintech compliance, and risk management. Compensation packages remain competitive, with entry-level in-house counsel roles averaging between $150,000 and $200,000, while senior counsel and general counsel positions can exceed $1 million in total compensation.
In addition, the expansion of legal operations and technology-driven tools is reshaping how corporate legal teams function. Skills in contract automation, process management, and analytics are increasingly valuable to employers seeking greater efficiency and innovation.
Learn more from this report: The Largest Employers of In-House Attorneys