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Regional retention, gender equality remain key issues in NSW
Law Society of NSW president Joanne van der Plaat has promoted the need for regional, rural, and remote legal career opportunities and responded to recent data revealing persistent gender pay and career gaps.
Jess Feyder
The 2021 Annual Profile of Solicitors in NSW shows a demographic analysis and identifies and monitors trends of solicitors in NSW. Ms van der Plaat commented that the report “provides an invaluable opportunity for NSW law firms to share ‘best practice’ on remuneration and retention of legal talent”.
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The report found that for the fifth consecutive year, female solicitors outnumbered males yet occupied fewer senior roles. For instance, the number of male law firm equity partners outnumber their female counterparts by almost three to one.
“Remuneration and career opportunities are vital to retaining high performing staff, which can improve productivity, performance, competitiveness and growth,” she said.
“The Profile shows that pay gaps emerge with early career lawyers, with the disparity increasing in line with seniority. The Law Society intends to examine this trend in detail and consider how best to address gender equality in senior roles,” said Ms van der Plaat.
“Over the coming months, the Law Society will engage with signatories of our Charter for the Advancement of Women and other leading law firms, to gather information about how they are currently addressing equal pay and flexibility in the workplace.”
Ms van der Plaat expressed concern about the data that showed only 12 per cent of NSW solicitors practising in regional areas.
“As a regional practitioner myself, I’m keenly aware of the potentially devastating consequences of people in these areas not being able to access justice,” said Ms van der Plaat.
“The most recent Australian census revealed more than a third of the NSW population lives outside greater Sydney. The 2021 Profile data shows barely more than one in 10 solicitors in the state practice in areas outside the Sydney CBD and suburbs.”
“As co-chair of the Law Council of Australia’s (LCA) rural, regional and remote (RRR) lawyers committee, I last year launched the RRR Lawyers and Communities National Strategic Plan,” she said.
“The Law Society has been working with the Law Council throughout 2022 to develop tools which seek to address recruitment barriers and administrative hurdles for smaller RRR legal workplaces on hiring and onboarding new employees.
“The Law Society can play an important role in sharing approaches across the profession, providing firms with practical guidance as we’ve done already with our publications on Cultural Diversity Guidance, Creating a Disability Inclusive Workplace, and our Workplace Guide and Model Discrimination and Harassment Policies.”
“We look forward to working with the profession and providing the best support we can to assist law firms to develop ways of nurturing all their talent, both in metropolitan and regional areas.”
