Legal Profession Humiliated in Equal Pay Debate

Mar 17, 2015

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

The legal profession has been humiliated following national press coverage of Equal Pay Day on Tuesday and the revelation that women are effectively working for free until the end of the year.

It has been revealed that full-time female solicitors earn £10,000 (some 20.2%) less than male solicitors a year. And no, it’s not the case that there is a lot more male solicitors and therefore the averages are skewed. According to The Law Society, 51.4% of solicitors on the roll are male, 48.6% are female – very close to being a 50:50 split.

The profession, which has stereotypically been viewed as being full of white, Oxbridge educated males, likes to claim it is working toward a diverse and equal and indeed, with 13.5% of solicitors on the roll registered as of ethnic minority, the industry reflects the make-up of UK society – 12.83% of people in the UK are of ethnic minority. Yet there are concerns about educational background, as it was also revealed that 82% of barristers, 78% of judges and 53% of magic circle solicitors are Oxbridge graduates.

However, there is absolutely no excuse for the fact that women solicitors are paid £10,000 less than male solicitors.

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