City of Baltimore / Department of Public Works, Administration (102) / General Counsel
Job-title file
Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.
2 employees hold this title in Department of Public Works, Administration (102). Median total compensation for the role is $108,708, above the department median of $55,825.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area, the median wage for Lawyers — about 7,520 people — is $132,400. Department of Public Works, Administration (102) pays a median base salary of $108,708 for this role, 18% below that figure — about the 31st percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Public Works, Administration (102)’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Department of Public Works, Administration (102)’s median base salary is 32% below that national figure, about the 28th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Department of Public Works, Administration (102) is $108,708, 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
General Counsel is held in 8 City of Baltimore departments. In Department of Public Works, Administration (102), the median of $108,708 ranks #4 of 8.
Median total compensation for the General Counsel role in other City of Baltimoredepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 14 jurisdictions. In City of Baltimore, the median of $107,901 ranks #12 of 14. See General Counsel across all of City of Baltimore →
Median total compensation for comparable General Counsel roles 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.
Same department
Record list
Page 1
General Counsel/Department of Public Works, Administration (102)
Source-specific fields
Paul Desantis holds the role of General Counsel at Department of Public Works, Administration (102). Hired in 2017, they have about 3 years of service. In 2020, their total compensation was $125,138.
General Counsel/Department of Public Works, Administration (102)
Source-specific fields
Dana Cooper is a General Counsel at Department of Public Works, Administration (102). Hired in 2011, they have about 5 years of service. 2016 total compensation came to $92,278.