U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of State / General Attorney

Job-title file

General Attorney

Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.

325 employees hold this title in Department of State. Median total compensation for the role is $191,900, above the department median of $133,692.

Employees: 325
Total payroll: $60.7M
Role median: $191,900
Agency median: $133,692
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$115,731$221,900+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 325 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

General Attorney pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Department of State pays a median base salary of $191,900 for this role, 20% above that figure — about the 63rd percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of State sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$78,360

$102,990

$159,670

$221,370

$351,600

Department of State median · $191,900

The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of State’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of State is $191,900, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

General Attorney is held in 98 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of State, the median of $191,900 ranks #9 of 98.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation

$322,736 · 2

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

$252,927 · 273

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

$251,693 · 354

Securities and Exchange Commission

$233,730 · 2,163

Federal Reserve System

$216,602 · 375

National Science Foundation

$203,415 · 32

Presidio Trust

$200,888 · 4

Federal Permitting Improvement Steer

$197,900 · 3

Denali Commission

$191,900 · 1

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

$191,900 · 5

Dfc

$191,900 · 78

Federal Communications Commission

$191,900 · 627

Median total compensation for the General Attorney role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

General Attorney beyond U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

This role is reported in 2 jurisdictions. In U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), the median of $178,914 ranks #1 of 2. See General Attorney across all of U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

New York Public Authorities

$124,825 · 8

Median total compensation for comparable General Attorneyroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Sarah Freuden

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$170,360

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $170,360
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $170,360
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Ankara
Work state: No Data Reported

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $170,360
Basic Pay (before locality): $139,445
Country: Turkey
Duty Station Code: TU1500000
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sarah Freuden works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Ankara, No Data Reported. Sarah earned $170,360 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Wanda Everson-Donnelly

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of State, Wanda Everson-Donnelly serves as a General Attorney based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $169,429. They are classified at grade 15.

Robert Schwieder

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Robert Schwieder works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Robert earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Jason Despain

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jason Despain works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Jason earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Rukayya Gitau

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Rukayya Gitau works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Rukayya earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Sarah Hunter

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of State, Sarah Hunter serves as a General Attorney based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $169,429. They are classified at grade 15.

Alina Lindblom

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Alina Lindblom works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Alina earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Tahura Lodhi

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Tahura Lodhi works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Tahura earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Sherine Mathew

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sherine Mathew is a General Attorney at Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $169,429. They are classified at grade 15.

Scott Medlyn

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Scott Medlyn holds the role of General Attorney at Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $169,429. Their pay grade is 15.

William Nash

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

William Nash works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. William earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Abigail Sebastian

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Annandale
Work county: Fairfax
Work state: Virginia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 510076059
Length of Service (Years): 8
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Abigail Sebastian holds the role of General Attorney at Department of State based in Annandale, Virginia. In 2024, their total compensation was $169,429. Their pay grade is 15.

Amy Tan

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Amy Tan works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Amy earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

James Teng

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

James Teng holds the role of General Attorney at Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $169,429. Their pay grade is 15.

Matthew Tilghman

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Matthew Tilghman works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Matthew earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Jacob Trumm

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of State, Jacob Trumm serves as a General Attorney based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $169,429. They are classified at grade 15.

Joseph Schofield

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Joseph Schofield works as a General Attorney for Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. Joseph earned $169,429 in 2024. Their pay grade is 15.

Carol Bundy

General Attorney/Department of State

2024 total comp

$169,429

Sub-department: Department of State
Base pay: $169,429
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $169,429
Pay grade: 15
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $169,429
Basic Pay (before locality): $127,142
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Carol Bundy is a General Attorney at Department of State based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $169,429. They are classified at grade 15.