View Morgan McKinley's salary guide for lawyers and professionals in legal support roles.
Legal recruitment in Hong Kong has remained competitive as financial services firms continue to catch up with new regulations, compliance and outsourcing activities.
Legal Salaries
| Legal Support | Years of experience | Qualification HKICS / CSA | HK$ (basic per annum) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Secretarial Assistant | 1 - 3 | Without | 180k - 280k |
| Company Secretarial Officer | 4 - 7 | With or Without | 280k - 360k |
| Senior Company Secretarial Officer | 7 - 10 | With | 360k - 420k |
| Assistant Company Secretarial Manager | 10 - 15 | With | 420k - 600k |
| Company Secretarial Manager | 15+ | With | 600k - 800k |
| Company Secretary | 20+ | With | 800k - 1,400k |
| Paralegal | 0 - 5 | 240k - 480k | |
| Paralegal | 6 - 10 | 480k - 700k | |
| Paralegal | 11 - 15 | 700k - 840k | |
| Paralegal | 15+ | 950k+ |
| In-House Lawyer | HK$ (basic per annum) |
|---|---|
| Newly Qualified - 2 years PQE | 600k - 950k |
| 3 - 5 years PQE | 950k - 1,300k |
| 6 - 8 years PQE | 1,300k - 1,800k |
| 8 - 10 years PQE | 1,800k - 2,200k |
| 10 - 15 years PQE | 2,200k - 2,500k |
| 15+ years PQE | 2,500k+ |
Note: Monthly salaries in HKD
We saw a high demand for experienced paralegal and company secretaries with solid commercial contracts drafting experience. Headcount in the banking industry has remained volatile in Hong Kong for 2016 and a number of headcount for senior level roles has been cut or frozen. We saw a preference of hiring paralegal and junior legal counsel roles on a contract basis for 2016 and we foresee this trend to continue for 2017.
In-house legal counsel roles in banking and financial services continue to be an exciting career path for private practice lawyers. Demand was particularly high for lawyers with two to six years of PQE for in-house legal counsel roles. M&A/corporate finance transaction lawyers, private banking and investment lawyers with strong Mandarin skills for banks, insurance and asset management industry are especially sought after.
Basic salary increment for in-house legal counsel and legal support roles can range between 15-20% (depending on qualification and experience of candidates).
If you would like to find out more specific salary or hiring information please contact your Morgan McKinley office today.
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