Important work is being undertaken by many firms and legal practices across New South Wales to embed diversity and inclusion in their operations. However, it is clear that, as a profession, the legal services industry needs to maintain a focus on this work, including gender pay equity, as a matter of priority. Equitable remuneration will not be achieved without commitment and deliberate actions across the profession.

In response to the findings on the gender pay gap from the 2021 Annual Profile of Solicitors NSW, the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee hosted a number of workshops in August 2022 examining the causes of the pay gap and how best to address gender equity in senior roles. There were around 25 participants in those workshops, including human resources professionals as well as partners and solicitors from small, large, and international firms.

The purpose of this paper is to share information with the wider profession on the issues canvassed by the workshop attendees, as well as other current research, including ideas on how the solicitor arm of the profession can actively work towards equitable remuneration through addressing the gender pay gap.