Unequal pay

Male solicitors earn on average £19,000 more then females, while white solicitors earn, on average, £10,000 more than black and minority ethnic (BME) solicitors, a Law Society survey shows. The study found the median yearly salary for male solicitors was £60,000 compared to £41,000 for females—a median pay gap of 32%. However, after taking into account grade, PQE, region, size of firm, breaks taken, hours worked and area of law, female solicitors earned, on average, 7.6% less than men. The survey found the median earnings were £50,000 for white solicitors and £40,000 for BME groups—a median pay gap of 20%. After considering gender, grade, firm size, region, PQE and hours worked BME solicitors earned, on average, 17% less than white ones. The Association of Women Solicitors has launched an equal pay campaign to draw attention to inequalities of pay in the legal sector.