IP Counsel.
Little Rock.
$155,000
median salary, 21% below the national average
$121,000 to $202,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Little Rock is 18% cheaper than the national average. For IP Counsels, that shakes out to a median of $155,000, with the full range spanning $121,000 to $202,000. IP Counsel compensation is driven by firm tier, practice area (M&A and private equity command the top of the market), and year of bar admission. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for IP Counsel in Little Rock, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $97,870 for Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, based on 1,670 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$47,280
25th percentile
$66,340
Median
$97,870
75th percentile
$130,990
90th percentile
$184,150
Workers surveyed
1,670
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $155,000 is 58% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Lawyers covers a different population than the IP Counsel title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) rather than IP Counsel specifically. The Little Rock range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 23-1011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$101,000
to $124,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$132,000
to $163,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$171,000
to $202,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$194,000
to $240,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $34,000 to the total package.
Base
$155,000
Equity
$19,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $189,000
How Little Rock compares.
Little Rock, AR
$155,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$195,000
Little Rock is $40,000 below
IP Counsel salary by city.
Salary by role in Little Rock.
What you should know.
The IP Counsel landscape in Little Rock is not what most salary sites will tell you. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. The metro's extremely low cost of living means even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power. Tech jobs are growing as companies seek affordable alternatives to major metros. IP Counsel compensation is driven by firm tier, practice area (M&A and private equity command the top of the market), and year of bar admission. Base salary carries most of the total compensation, with bonuses adding roughly 15% in a typical year. Within law, firm tier and practice area specialization drive the steepest variance, with Big Law and top boutique firms setting the ceiling.
IP Counsels progress Associate → Senior Associate → Counsel → Partner over 8 to 10 years at firms; in-house tracks progress Associate → Senior Counsel → Managing Counsel → General Counsel. Partner-track decisions happen around year 7 to 8. In Little Rock, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation for IP Counsels runs roughly $224K at median when factoring base + typical bonus (~15% of base). Base salary carries most of the compensation; benefits (healthcare, 401(k) match, PTO) add an estimated 15–25% in imputed value on top. In law, firm tier dictates total compensation structure — Big Law associates earn predictable lockstep salaries; in-house counsel typically trades lower base for equity. And on the tax side: arkansas has a top income tax rate of 4.4%. Little Rock has no city income tax. The combination of low taxes and very affordable housing creates one of the best net pay environments in the country. When someone quotes you $155,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Walmart and Tyson ecosystem when negotiating. Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock employers benchmark against national corporate pay scales. The range for IP Counsels in Little Rock runs from $121,000 to $202,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"IP Counsel Salary in Little Rock, AR." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ip-counsel/little-rock
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