The panacea of equality in law is one to which most firms have resolutely signed up to. However, it is still something which appears to be beyond translation into reality for most. Have a look at some of our previous posts on the matter by clicking here to get a feel for the current climate.

Following the recent election of the first African-American into the White House (and a close miss by Hilary Clinton who could have been the first female President) it seems that the US is flying the flag for progression on these fronts.

However a recent survey from the National Association of Women Lawyers (in the US) puts something of a dampener on the celebrations…

In an article entitled Women in BIgLaw: Pounding against the Glass Ceiling, the Wall Street Journal’s law blog examines the facts. You can probably see where this is heading already but:

" According to a survey of 137 of the 200 large corporate defense firms by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), about 48% of first and second-year associates are women. But the percentages dwindle from there; 27% of non-equity partners and less than 16% of equity partners are women.

There is also a considerable pay gap. At 99% of the firms, the top-paid partner is a man; on average, male equity partners earn more than $87,000 annually than female equity partners. (Fifty-nine firms in the AmLaw 200 reported compensation data.)

Lisa Horowitz, the president of the Association, chalks up the pay differential in part to the fact that women, come compensation time, are less prone to brag about their contributions. “Research has found that women don’t self promote” as much as men, she says. Another factor: many firms, she says, don’t adequately value women’s contributions beyond mere business generation, such as mentoring associates or participating in firm management."

So there you go. We will keep an eye out for new info on the home front and see how UK firms compare…