Gender Pay Gap Employer Statement

The Law Society of New South Wales (Law Society) aims to guide, unite and support our employees and the wider legal profession.  We endeavour to ensure each employee feels valued, respected, included, and can meaningfully contribute to our organisation and, in turn, the wider community. 

The Law Society is committed to ensuring all employees are treated equally and recognised for their positive contribution through remuneration, promotions and opportunities to progress to management and leadership positions where they aspire to do so. We conduct an annual remuneration process, including a gender pay gap analysis, and aim to foster relationships with our employees and reasonably accommodate their needs, including in relation to family and carer’s responsibilities. 

The Law Society is in the unique and privileged position of setting the standard and expectations of the legal profession and considers it of paramount importance to lead the way in encouraging the profession to close the pay gap. 

The Law Society is proud of its ongoing commitment towards closing the gender pay gap. Our key results for 2023 include:

• The median total remuneration gender pay gap is 13.9%, compared to the industry comparison group of 26.9%. 
• Our board consists of 71% women, compared to the industry standard of 37%.
• The Law Society has a 65% female workforce. 

A contributing factor to the Law Society’s success is its aim to follow the Charter for the Advancement of Women: Equitable Remuneration in the Legal Profession (Charter). We will continue to use the Charter as a framework to support closing the gender pay gap. The Law Society also encourages the legal profession to implement the Charter.

The Law Society appreciates that closing the gender pay gap is an ongoing pursuit, and, while we are proud of our achievements to date, we will monitor and remain committed to closing the pay gap, accelerate the pace of change where needed, and commit to the structural and cultural change necessary to ensure this occurs. Initiatives we have introduced to ensure this include our:

• Flexible Work Arrangements Policy, 
• Parental Leave Policy, 
• Higher Duties Allowance Policy, in addition to secondment opportunities and formal training and learning opportunities and programs designed to ensure equity and inclusion in our workplace. 

The Law Society is confident we are heading in the right direction and that we have the right plan to continue to ensure equity for our employees, as well as lead the profession to ensure a more equitable future for all legal practitioners across NSW.