That mind-set is obvious to those interviewing the candidates, according to Christine Edwards, a partner at Winston & Strawn in Chicago who, as the chief legal officer at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, was the first woman to crack the list of five highest-paid GCs on Corporate Counsel’s annual survey. “In interviews, female candidates will be strong, confident, and engaged, but when you switch to the topic of compensation, their eyes will drop, nine times out of 10,” Edwards says.

The psychological dimension is another major factor in salary negotiations. For many women and people of color, discussing salary is extremely uncomfortable. So negotiating for what may seem like a great deal of money is particularly difficult. “It is something that is really deep-seated,” says Korn/Ferry’s Goldberg. “A lot of it is psychological, and some of it is experiential. It is part of the milieu in which you grow up and function.”

The problem is also a generational one. “For women who are considered for general counsel-level positions, we’re still talking about the generation that was taught to please and be the best they can be,” says Goldberg. “Women want so much not to be seen as difficult and high-maintenance.”

Racial issues play out in the corporate environment just as they do everywhere else. The disparities in pay among GCs who are white men, white women, and people of color are striking, according to Veta Richardson, executive director of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

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