If you've ever thought about migrating to the other side of the pond, you might want to brush up on your Russian.

According to a recent survey of in-house counsel salaries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, general counsel in Russia, China, India, Dubai and Switzerland currently received the greatest base-pay increases in 2006. GCs in other nations, including the U.K., France and Germany, have seen stagnant, or even decreasing, salaries for the past year.

“When we initiated this year's survey, we fully expected the results to show a healthy increase in base salaries pretty much across the board,” says Naveen Tuli, a partner at Laurence Simons International, the international legal recruiting firm that conducted the survey. “The figures surprised us in that most countries were either showing no movement from the previous year or a small decline.”

The countries that did show an increase in GC base pay are considered emerging markets. Nations such as Russia and China are seeing economic booms, which consequently have resulted in a high demand for in-house counsel. Such countries are gaining foothold in the global economic playing field, creating a need for U.S. counsel.

Most Western European nations, such as the U.K., France and Italy, saw stagnant GC wages over the past year while Germany's actually dropped, partly due to a staggering economy.

“I see this as the calm before the storm,” Tuli says. “Over the years, the option of an in-house counsel career has become increasingly appealing to lawyers as the profile and responsibility of the in-house counsel has increased.”

The follow are some highlights from the survey:

oAlthough China saw a healthy leap in GC pay, Hong Kong salaries remained stagnant.

oDue to high demand, Japan has seen a 6.4 percent increase in GC salaries since 2005.

oBecause of an increased multi-national corporate presence, Switzerland's GC salaries have increased by as much as 30 percent.

oCompanies in India are experiencing high demand for counsel with Western business experience. GC base salaries in India peak at $183,000.

oGC base pay in Russia increased by nearly 10 percent since 2005.

oFrance, Spain and Italy tend to restrict hiring to domestic in-house counsel.

oBelgium's wages top many of those in the European market; however, this is countered by a personal tax rate of 50 percent for income over $39,000.

To request a copy of the survey, click here