JW Michaels & Co. Releases 2027 Salary Guide for Legal, Compliance and Investment Firm Roles

Built on the firm's 2026 placements, the free guide adds a 2027 regulatory hiring calendar

NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- JW Michaels & Co., a New York executive search firm, today released its 2027 Salary Guide, a free compensation benchmark for legal, compliance, finance, operations, investment, technology and HR roles.

The guide draws on placements JW Michaels made from January through October 2026, the firm's prior placement data and published compensation research. Legal, compliance and legal support roles made up 70% of those placements, and 68% were at hedge funds, private markets firms, asset managers, wealth managers and family offices.

Key findings include:

• Most ranges rose 5% to 10% at the midpoint since the firm's 2024 report, with a typical move of about 7%.
• The median accepted base salary was $130,000 for compliance analysts through senior associates and $225,000 for in-house counsel.
• Average US salary increase budgets for 2027 are projected at 3.4% to 3.5%, according to WTW and Payscale.
• Hedge fund year-end incentive pools for 2026 are projected to rise 5% to 15% from 2025, according to Johnson Associates.

New this year are tables for law firm associate base scales, corporate legal departments, regional and boutique law firms, operations, investor relations and fintech compliance, plus a section on combined general counsel and chief compliance officer roles. A 2027 regulatory calendar ties upcoming deadlines, including Treasury clearing, Form PF and the GENIUS Act, to the roles they put in demand.

"Compensation conversations move faster when both sides start from the same data," said Jason Wachtel, co-founder and managing partner of JW Michaels & Co. "This guide shows what 2026 offers looked like and what employers and candidates should plan for in 2027."

The 2027 Salary Guide is available free at jwmichaels.com/jwm-compensation-guide.

About JW Michaels & Co.

JW Michaels & Co. places compliance officers, legal counsel, finance, technology, HR and operations professionals with investment management firms, hedge funds, private equity firms, investment banks, law firms and Fortune 500 companies. With nearly 50 years of recruiting experience, the firm tailors each search to the client's needs. The firm and its sister brands have offices in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Austin and Miami. Learn more at www.jwmichaels.com.

SOURCE JW Michaels & Co.