Gender pay gap persists as top firms slide backwards

When compared to the 2023–24 reporting period, 39 per cent had a worse gap, with some increasing between 5.2 and 12.3 percentage points.

However, some firms demonstrated a marked improvement, and others have continued to see their gap decrease year on year.

These averages are required of all workplaces with 100 or more employees under the Workplace Gender Equality Act, in addition to median gender pay gaps, their workforce composition and remuneration by pay quartile. Lawyers Weekly has provided all data below.

Top-performing firms prioritising gender equity

The top-performing legal services include Lavan, Lawyers On Demand (LOD), Pinsent Masons, and Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), with gaps that were either non-existent or well below the national average.

A spokesperson with Lavan told Lawyers Weekly it was “deeply committed” to driving change around gender equity, and the results were “an encouraging sign” that its initiatives were having a significant impact.

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“While we recognise that there is still more work to be done, we are motivated by the progress we have made and remain dedicated to continuing our efforts to achieve true gender equity,” they said.

Paul Cowling, Australian managing director of LOD, said diversity and inclusion have been central, and he was delighted to see “continued year-on-year improvement”, particularly in comparison to other services.

In 2023–24, LOD reported an average total remuneration gap of 3.8 per cent and an average base salary gap of 1.6 per cent. The new data saw these figures decrease to 1.2 and 0.7 per cent, respectively.

“Our improved results reflect our longstanding commitment to an inclusive workplace where gender equality is embedded in how we operate, and to demonstrate that sustainable, equitable careers are possible in ‘NewLaw’,” Cowling said.

Pinsent Masons’ head of human resources for APAC, Caroline Clark, said the firm has taken “deliberate steps” over a number of years to ensure their staff have equal opportunities to progress and be recognised.

This has paid off significantly, with the firm improving its results from the 2023–24 average total remuneration gap of 12.8 per cent down to 2.7 per cent. Its average base salary also decreased from 12.9 to 1.9 per cent.

Clark said: “These results reflect the impact of that ongoing work and our commitment to building a fair, inclusive and equitable workplace for all.”

The EDO, sitting just below Pinsent Masons with a 3.7 per cent average total remuneration gap, said gender equality was crucial for environmental sustainability and the firm was committed to wage equality for staff.

“Women and girls often face disproportionate impacts of climate change and, according to the OECD, their participation in decision making is linked to better environmental outcomes,” CEO Jo Shulman said.

Jackie Mead, CEO of Knowmore Legal Service, said the organisation believes equity must start “within our own walls” if it is to continue supporting those who have experienced profound injustice.

Recognising the “work is not finished”, Mead said the firm would continue to further strengthen policies, systems, and practices to ensure all staff, regardless of their gender, are valued and paid fairly.

“We want to demonstrate to the sector, and the wider community, that closing the gender pay gap is both achievable and essential.

“Knowmore will continue to lead by example and remain transparent about our progress. We hope our results encourage other organisations to prioritise equal pay as a core part of building safe, just, and inclusive workplaces,” Mead told Lawyers Weekly.

Much like Pinsent Masons, Turks saw a marked improvement in its figures; decreasing from its average total remuneration gap of 12 per cent in 2023–24 to the current gap of 4.6 per cent. As for average base salary, the firm improved from the 12 per cent figure down to 5.2 per cent.

Reflecting on these results, CEO Zoe Leonard said the position has always been clear: “Pay, development and advancement must be based on skills, performance and experience – never gender.”

“Led from the top, with a female CEO, HoO, and board chair, our strategy is shaped by visible leadership accountability and a clear commitment to equity in practice,” Leonard added.

“These results reflect the collective accountability of our people in reinforcing values grounded in connectedness, integrity, and opportunity for all.”

Arnold Bloch Leibler director of human resources Shaneen Argall said the firm was also proud of its results, having been deliberate in ensuring equitable remuneration and support for its female lawyers.

Argall said: “Ongoing focus and accountability remain essential as we collectively strive to close the gender pay gap across the profession.”

At Dentons, Australia chair and Australasia region CEO Amber Warren said the 5.8 per cent average total remuneration gap was a result of a number of initiatives, including annual remuneration audits, inclusive role pathways, and the creation of a “strong pipeline of high-calibre female talent” to enable the firm to promote more women.

“We’re proud of our achievement, which is a testament to our commitment to inclusion and the efforts of everyone at Dentons,” Warren said.

A spokesperson with Kennedy's Australian partnership said: "This welcome milestone reflects sustained and deliberate action at Kennedys to increase female representation at senior levels, support career progression through mentorship and sponsorship programmes, and enhance flexibility to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to success. While it marks meaningful progress, we remain committed to further reducing this gap."

Firms at bottom end explain data discrepancies

The top five firms with the worst gender pay gap for average total remuneration in 2023–24: Spruson & Ferguson, Jones Day, Coleman Greig, Davies Collison Cave, and Meridian Lawyers – remained at the bottom in the figures released on Tuesday, 3 March. However, three of these firms have made some progress in closing their gaps.

Davies Collison Cave (DCC) – which reported a 52.8 per cent average total remuneration gap – said the firm “remains fully committed” to taking deliberate steps to reduce these figures and improve outcomes.

Explaining the large figure, the firm said its highest-paid fee earners are patent attorneys with a master’s degree in intellectual property law and a PhD in science or engineering, which are typically male-dominated.

DCC group director Michael Wolnizer said the firm would continue to prioritise long-term strategies to increase the representation of women in senior and higher-paid roles, which would see those figures decrease.

“We know that this will require long-term, sustained effort and we are committed to delivering on our strategy to improving gender equality outcomes at Davies Collison Cave,” Wolnizer said.

Spruson & Ferguson similarly require intellectual property experts and cited the underrepresentation of women in STEM-qualified roles.

“Spruson & Ferguson is committed to improving gender equity through IPH’s Gender Equity and Equality Strategy, our 40:40:20 representation targets, enhanced parental leave, flexible work practices, and our firm-level development initiatives. Addressing the structural drivers of gender imbalance remains a long‑term priority for the group,” it said.

WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge was also clear that some companies will have to “go backwards before they go forwards”. Using airlines as an example, Wooldridge said women would need to be first hired into junior roles and rise through the ranks to pilot before the data will improve.

“Going backwards is not necessarily a problem if it’s part of a bigger plan,” Wooldridge said at a press event for media.

Coleman Greig executive chair Caroline Hutchinson said the WGEA does not measure equal pay, which she said was a “critical benchmark of fairness”. She said the firm has robust policies and procedures to ensure employees in equivalent roles are paid fairly, regardless of gender.

Hutchinson added the firm has 71 per cent of women in legal cadet roles, and it would continue to offer targeted development programs, paid parental leave, and flexible working policies to retain female talent.

“As a firm, we take our responsibility to gender pay equality seriously.

“We have comprehensive, board-endorsed strategies in place to drive long-term change, and we are committed to continuing this progress,” she said.

On top of adopting a similar explanation as Coleman Greig, Jones Day said a look at its mid-level and senior associates demonstrated that its firm has median pay gaps in favour of its women employees.

Jones Day’s partner-in-charge of the Brisbane office, Annie Leeks, said that with almost half of the firm’s 40 offices headed up by women, women are “thriving”.

Meridian Lawyers managing director Paul Baker said the firm also has pay parity at comparable role levels across the firm, with its gender pay gap driven by the composition of its most senior leadership cohort.

“We also recognise that explaining a gap is not the same as addressing it.

“Encouragingly, our gap has narrowed since 2023 and continues to trend downward. In the most recent reporting period, the past five team members promoted to principal were women, as were 74 per cent of all promotions across the business,” Baker said.

Cornwalls, which reported an average total remuneration gap of 40.9 per cent, disputed that there was a gender pay gap at the firm.

Sofie Filippone, chief people and operating officer at Cornwalls, said much the same as the other firms: the gap reflects the composition at different cohort levels.

“That said, we are focused on accelerating change within our firm.

“We have implemented targeted initiatives to strengthen progression pathways for women. We are committed to measurable progress and ongoing transparency as we work to improve representation at senior levels,” Filippone told Lawyers Weekly.

Macpherson Kelley had one of the highest figures when WGEA data was first released for the 2023–24 period, but has steadily improved. For example, in the new data, its median total remuneration improved from 41 per cent to 37.2 per cent, and its median base from 39.7 to 34.1 per cent.

If the principal lawyer figures are removed, Macpherson Kelley’s legal practice gender pay gap is reduced to 8.5 per cent.

The firm continued to invest in programs to support women, the majority of its early-career lawyers are women, and it has committed to having women comprise 50 per cent of its principal lawyer positions by 2028.

Below are the results of the average total remuneration and base salary gender pay gaps for the last two reporting periods. Eight firms did not provide data for the 2023–24 period. The 2023–24 reporting period was the first time the average results were published.

Below are the results of the median total remuneration and median base salary gender pay gaps for the last three reporting periods.

Below are the figures for the number of women at each of the firms, including a look at the upper quartile and lowest quartile of the workplace.