Female Lawyers Paid 24% Less Than Male Lawyers

Jun 12, 2015

Written By Billy Sexton, Editor, AllAboutLaw.co.uk

Not what you want to hear on a Friday ladies! New research shows that female lawyers are paid, on average, 24% less than males.

For an industry that’s doing its utmost to shake off the shackles of being white, elitist and male, it’s bad news. Particularly because it has also been found that bonuses for male lawyers are 66% higher than women’s bonuses. Males enjoy average bonuses of £38,400, whereas women ‘only’ receive an average of £23,200. On top of this, 75% of male lawyers received a bonus last year, with 58% of women receiving one.

However, it’s not all bad news. The study also found that the legal gender pay gap is narrowing. Female lawyers saw their salaries grow by an average of 5%, with male average salaries falling by 2%. At this rate of progress, there will be gender parity by 2021. Waiting six years is not ideal, but it’s an improvement.

Chris Cayley, EMEA Managing Director at Laurence Simons, said: “Earning equality between the genders in junior legal positions is widely accepted, with firms across the board having set rates for trainees and newly-qualified associates. However, it is no secret that pay further up the ladder has been subject to a significant gender imbalance over the years, and the news that this is closing is only to be welcomed.”

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