It was with a sense of irony that I read the article in last week's Gazette regarding the pay gap between ethnic minority, female and male solicitors, and the fact that the Law Society has begun a campaign to end the pay differential (see [2008] Gazette, 22 May, 1).


My experience as a female commercial solicitor with seven years of post-qualification experience is that no amount of campaigning will do anything about the disgraceful way that some law firms treat female and minority staff members. I recently discovered that I am paid less than male associates in the same department, despite being more qualified and mentioned in directories as a respected professional in my field - unlike them.



Upon enquiring why I was paid less, I was told it was because the men had 'negotiated harder'. I am now taking advice and have commenced the equal pay process, but as a result am also looking to leave the profession and take my skills to another career where being female is not automatically a disadvantage and where there are opportunities to progress. Looking around my firm, I cannot observe any other female solicitors of a similar PQE. They have all left for other careers, with the exception of two female salaried partners in a firm with nearly 20 partners in all. I know this is an accurate reflection of the position at our competitors too.



Given this exodus of well-qualified women, it will take more than a campaign to solve the problem. It will take a combination of more women being brave enough to take legal action, and a requirement for all firms to report regularly to the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the pay of qualified staff and to explain any discrepancies. Otherwise, firms will continue to use women as a source of cheap labour at the newly qualified stage and then wonder where all the women have gone five years later.



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