Brown: review policies Women solicitors are disillusioned by obstacles to their career progression and lower pay in comparison to male colleagues, Law Society research published this week has shown.

The study revealed that women solicitors are being paid an average of almost 10% less than men, even when differences in seniority and type of work undertaken are taken into account. Women from ethnic minorities are paid an average of 27% less than their white male counterparts.


Only half of women solicitors said they were satisfied with their pay, compared to three-fifths of men. Median earnings for women solicitors working full-time were £39,000 last year, while the figure for men was £45,000.


Some 63% of women in the profession maintain there are barriers to their career development, the study revealed, while only one-third of men held the same view.


More than half of women solicitors had considered leaving the profession at some point in their careers, compared to 42% of men.


Alison Parkinson, Law Society Council member for the Association of Women Solicitors, said: 'I am not surprised by the findings of the report, as it fits the anecdotal evidence that we receive from our members. But it is good to see independent research confirming the point.


'Now we want to see something being done about it. The firms that do address the issue and give proper career prospects to women will benefit, because they will retain those people.'


Yvonne Brown, chairwoman of the Black Solicitors Network, said: 'These figures will mean that a lot of non-white women solicitors will be questioning the amount they are being paid. Rather than waiting for women to start asking questions, firms should take the initiative and review their policies.'


Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva said: 'The solicitors' profession continues to attract more women than men. This trend is going some way towards ensuring that the profession accurately reflects the society it serves... Many law firms are excellent employers but clearly some need to do more to retain talented men and women.'


The Law Society study combined information from the roll of solicitors, a survey of more than 1,000 men and women solicitors, and a survey of 441 women solicitors who had recently taken career breaks or left the profession.



See Editorial and Career Brief.