NSW Law Society data shows more female lawyers but gender pay gap still persists

The latest snapshot of NSW solicitors has revealed a growing, younger legal profession with a larger majority of women, but their incomes don’t yet reflect it.

Of NSW’s 37,186 solicitors represented in the profile, 54 per cent were female and 46 per cent male. Women have made up the majority of the profession since 2017, increasing their dominance every year since.

The latest snapshot of NSW solicitors has revealed a growing, younger legal profession with a larger majority of women, but their incomes don’t yet reflect it.

The NSW Law Society’s 2021 annual profile, released on Friday, indicated that NSW’s solicitors are increasingly culturally diverse, with a growing proportion of young women who face a significant gender pay gap.

The profile, compiled by consultancy firm Urbis from demographic information and responses to a voluntary survey, showed that pay for female lawyers continues to lag behind their male counterparts, as do opportunities for women to advance to practice leadership positions.

Of NSW’s 37,186 solicitors represented in the profile, 54 per cent were female and 46 per cent male. Women have made up the majority of the profession since 2017, increasing their dominance every year since.

However, only 33 per cent of solicitors in private practice leadership roles are female.

The findings also revealed a persistent gender pay gap across the profession’s age demographics, most noticeable for solicitors in their thirties. For solicitors aged 30-34, 34 per cent of women earned more than $150,000 a year compared with 41 per cent of men. For solicitors aged 35-39, 26 per cent of women earned more than $200,000 a year compared with 33 per cent of men. For solicitors aged 40-49, 23 per cent of women earned more than $250,000 a year compared with 34 per cent of men.

The pay gap was consistent among men and women of the same age, as well as among men and women who had been admitted for the same number of years.

NSW Law Society president Joanne van der Plaat says while the statistics indicate a persistent gender pay gap, the increasing diversity of the profession is something to celebrate.

The profile also showed a legal profession that is increasingly culturally diverse. Some 29 per cent of solicitors were born overseas, a statistic reflective of NSW’s broader population, the Law Society said. Of those born overseas, almost half (43 per cent) were born in Asia and 14 per cent in Britain or Ireland.

Almost two-thirds (60 per cent) identified as non-Indigenous Australian, followed by Chinese and English, both at seven per cent. One per cent identified as Indigenous Australian.

In 2021, NSW solicitors had an average age of 42.6 years.

Just over half of the full-time workforce earned $150,000 a year or less, with corporate legal practitioners reporting the highest median income, followed by those in private practice and government legal.

Just over one-third of solicitors reported providing pro bono, unpaid or voluntary work in the year before undertaking the survey, averaging eight working days each.

Nearly half (49 per cent) worked in the CBD, and a third in the suburbs of Sydney. Just 12 per cent worked in regional or rural NSW. The findings also showed a higher concentration of solicitors in larger firms. Although private practices with more than 40 principals make up 0.2 per cent of all NSW practices, they employed 19 per cent of NSW solicitors.

Law Society president Joanne van der Plaat said the annual profile provided greater transparency and a launching pad to advocate for change.

“What we as lawyers can celebrate is a younger, more culturally diverse and more gender diverse profession.

“There’s a way to go yet,” Ms van der Plaat said.