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Texas / Public Utility Commission of Texas / General Counsel IV

Job-title file

General Counsel IV

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

6 employees hold this title in Public Utility Commission of Texas. Median total compensation for the role is $220,107, above the department median of $99,228.

Employees
6
Total payroll
$1.3M
Role median
$220,107
Agency median
$99,228
Comparison
Above

Compared with the local labor market

General Counsel IV pay vs. Texas

Across all employers in Texas, the median wage for Lawyers — about 56,580 people — is $154,200. Public Utility Commission of Texas pays a median base salary of $220,107 for this role, 43% above that figureabout the 74th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Public Utility Commission of Texas sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$79,340
$102,810
$154,200
$223,390
$349,490
Public Utility Commission of Texas median · $220,107

The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Texas, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Public Utility Commission of Texas’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. Public Utility Commission of Texas’s median base salary is 38% 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
Public Utility Commission of Texas median · $220,107

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 Texas range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Public Utility Commission of Texas is $220,107, 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 Texas

General Counsel IV is held in 44 Texas departments. In Public Utility Commission of Texas, the median of $220,107 ranks #2 of 44.

Highest-paying departments for this role

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

Compare jurisdictions

General Counsel beyond Texas

This role is reported in 14 jurisdictions. In Texas, the median of $162,498 ranks #8 of 14. See General Counsel across all of Texas

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

New York City
$219,998 · 5
California
$217,477 · 10
Tennessee
$205,192 · 25
District of Columbia
$190,389 · 41
Georgia
$168,000 · 7
City of Boston
$164,844 · 7
Minnesota
$148,326 · 79

Median total compensation for comparable General Counselroles 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

David Smeltzer

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$223,770
Base pay
$223,770
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$223,770
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
P

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
Nov 1, 2013
Monthly Pay
$18,648
State Employee Number
92927

David Smeltzer works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. David earned $223,770 in 2026.

Jena Abel

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$222,727
Base pay
$222,727
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$222,727
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
R

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
Jun 26, 2023
Monthly Pay
$18,561
State Employee Number
3503

Jena Abel holds the role of General Counsel IV at Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $222,727.

Mark Hovenkamp

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$220,107
Base pay
$220,107
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$220,107
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
A

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
Feb 1, 2008
Monthly Pay
$18,342
State Employee Number
51968

Mark Hovenkamp works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Mark earned $220,107 in 2026.

Hunter Burkhalter

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$220,107
Base pay
$220,107
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$220,107
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
W

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
May 14, 2018
Monthly Pay
$18,342
State Employee Number
171018

Hunter Burkhalter works as a General Counsel IV for Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Hunter earned $220,107 in 2026.

David Gordon

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$202,362
Base pay
$202,362
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$202,362
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
G

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
Aug 23, 2021
Monthly Pay
$16,864
State Employee Number
341427

David Gordon holds the role of General Counsel IV at Public Utility Commission of Texas. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $202,362.

David Hrncir

General Counsel IV/Public Utility Commission of Texas

2026 total comp
$195,901
Base pay
$195,901
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$195,901
Employment type
Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1
Middle name
J

Source-specific fields

Class Code
3524
Hire Date
Apr 1, 2015
Monthly Pay
$16,325
State Employee Number
784995

David Hrncir is a General Counsel IV at Public Utility Commission of Texas. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $195,901.