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04 May 2018 / Joanne Losty
Issue: 7791 / Categories: Features , Profession
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Mind the gap

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The gender pay gap reporting highlights the need for industry wide culture change, says Joanne Losty

  • The gender pay gap at most UK law firms is much worse than the average UK business at every level.
  • Remedying the pay gap will take a major effort across multiple areas.
  • Genuine agile working practices could assist with the overall cultural change.
  • As more millennials enter the profession, law firms will need to adapt their culture to fit shifting expectations.

The gender pay gap reporting deadline has come and gone. The results are in and City law firms have filed their figures. So how did the legal sector perform and what can be done to address the issues of diversity and flexible working which underpin much of the gap that still exists?

Background

First, the legislation which required companies to report needs to be addressed. Despite the Equal Pay Act 1970, which makes it illegal to discriminate between men and women in terms of pay and conditions, a significant gap still exists between

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