Women Still Lag Behind in Law Firm Salaries

The ALM Research Billing Rates and Practices Survey, released late last year showed a notable difference in the billing rates of men and women. The study showed that regardless of firm size, female attorneys reported charging, on average, a lower hourly billing rate than their male counterparts. Now a Census Bureau Report, recently released in August echoes this finding. The ABA Journal has reported that when specific jobs in the legal profession were compared, female lawyer salaries came out behind those of their male counterparts. “Women lawyers made a median of $93,600, a salary that was 77.8 percent of male lawyers’ median salary of $120,400. Female paralegal and legal assistants earned a median of $42,600, which was 93.2 percent of the $45,700 median that men earned. Female judges, magistrates and other judicial workers earned a median of $69,500, which is 64.3 percent of the median of $108,100 earned by males.” For more information about the ALM Research Billing Rates and Practices Survey visit the ALM Research Online Store.