Gender pay gap persists among Big Law partners.

Byline: BridgeTower Media Newswires

It's 2019 and the gender pay gap between male and female lawyers remains a hot topic. High-profile lawsuits alleging pay inequality continue to be filed in federal and state courts across the country.

A 2018 partner compensation survey conducted by my employer, global attorney search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, in conjunction with legal market intelligence and research specialists Acritas, found a 53 percent difference in average pay between male and female lawyers across large U.S. law firms. Responses to the survey were received from 1,390 partners nationwide.

Data from each of the four previous compensation surveys conducted by our firm also revealed a significant difference in pay between the genders a gap of 44 percent in 2016, 47 percent in 2014, 48 percent in 2012 and 32 percent in 2010. Survey responses indicate a similar gender gap in the average originations and billing rates. When compensation is controlled exclusively for gender and originations, female partners report lower average compensation nearly 80 percent of the time. At most large firms, compensation is based primarily on originations.

Gender pay gap: The perception

For the purposes of this survey, the gender pay gap was defined as "the difference in compensation received by women as compared to men for the same work or contribution to the firm." Notably, 28 percent of all respondents believed a gender pay gap exists, though female partners were six times as likely to perceive a pay gap as their male counterparts (67 percent vs. 11 percent). What's more interesting, however, is the finding that all respondents perceived that female partners received only 6 percent less than their male counterparts for the same firm contributions.

Gender pay gap: Analysis

Using regression analysis, Acritas found that originations and hourly billing rates accounted for 75 percent of the variation in compensation, whereas working attorney receipts, number of firm lawyers and partner status (equity vs. non-equity) combined accounted for only 25 percent of the variation.

Is change in the air?

According to our survey, 66 percent of female partners and 57 percent of male...