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Tennessee / Health Services and Development Agency / General Counsel 2

Job-title file

General Counsel 2

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

1 employee holds this title in Health Services and Development Agency. Median total compensation for the role is $229,299, above the department median of $82,264.

Employees
1
Total payroll
$229.3K
Role median
$229,299
Agency median
$82,264
Comparison
Above

Compared with the local labor market

General Counsel 2 pay vs. Tennessee

Across all employers in Tennessee, the median wage for Lawyersabout 9,010 people is $136,180. Health Services and Development Agency pays a median base salary of $219,384 for this role, 61% above that figureabout the 77th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Health Services and Development Agency sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$76,510
$98,750
$136,180
$198,470
$324,880
Health Services and Development Agency median · $219,384

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

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyersabout 754,500 people is $159,670. Health Services and Development Agency’s median base salary is 37% above that national figure, about the 74th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$78,360
$102,990
$159,670
$221,370
$351,600
Health Services and Development Agency median · $219,384

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 Tennessee range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Health Services and Development Agency is $229,299, 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 Tennessee

General Counsel 2 is held in 16 Tennessee departments. In Health Services and Development Agency, the median of $229,299 ranks #3 of 16.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Education
$236,317 · 1
Tenncare
$212,332 · 1
Mental Health
$211,946 · 1
Correction
$210,006 · 1
Safety
$207,276 · 1
Tbi
$206,980 · 1
Children's Services
$205,192 · 1
Transportation
$203,453 · 2

Median total compensation for the General Counsel 2 role in other Tennesseedepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

General Counsel beyond Tennessee

This role is reported in 14 jurisdictions. In Tennessee, the median of $205,192 ranks #3 of 14. See General Counsel across all of Tennessee

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

New York City
$219,998 · 5
California
$217,477 · 10
District of Columbia
$190,389 · 41
Georgia
$168,000 · 7
City of Boston
$164,844 · 7
Texas
$162,498 · 343
Minnesota
$148,326 · 79

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.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

James Christoffersen

General Counsel 2/Health Services and Development Agency

2026 total comp
$229,299
Sub-department
HSDA - Administration
Base pay
$219,384
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$9,915
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$229,299
Employment type
Full-Time
Pay basis
Monthly
Middle name
B

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate
$18,282
Employee ID
101726

James Christoffersen holds the role of General Counsel 2 at Health Services and Development Agency within Hsda - Administration. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $229,299.