Pinsent Masons publishes its 2022 pay gap report

A foreword from Andrew Masraf:

Since its inception in 2017, gender pay gap reporting has helped to underscore occupational inequality across the UK business community. While providing gender pay statistics remains the only metric which is mandatory for businesses with 200 plus employees, it’s encouraging to see so many professional services businesses widen the scope of their annual pay gap report to analyse diversity from a broader perspective. Indeed, at Pinsent Masons, reporting on our ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation pay gaps alongside gender has contributed to our efforts to champion change and deliver initiatives that genuinely promote diversity and inclusion.

During 2022 we’ve worked hard to adapt and improve representation across our business. And while progress is hard won, we recognise that determination, diligence and a commitment to enable everyone to thrive in their career is, and should always be, a priority for our business.

While there is much work to be done, we are proud of our progress. Over the past three years we’ve achieved our target of 45% female candidates for partner promotion and have embedded changes to our family leave policy to make parental leave more accessible for both men and women. The launch of a unified global family leave policy offering the same minimum paid leave to all genders in all global locations in 2022 was a material step forward.

Furthermore, one third of UK joiners in 2022 were minority ethnic following the launch of our race and ethnicity targets which seek to address minority ethnic representation at every level of our business.

While reporting on our annual pay gaps is not a silver bullet, the ethos behind the regime is clear and resonates with our business and I hope many others across the legal market. Broadening access to the legal profession is the foundation of pay gap reporting and, in my view, a critical aspect of the future of legal services. In fact, we want to go further and work with our clients to create more opportunities for more people from socially diverse backgrounds to secure careers, not just in the legal profession but in our wider business communities as well.

Diversity of thought and of lived experience provide a diversity of perspective that are a necessity in a fast-moving and fast-changing world, and they are critical catalysts for change. For a purpose-led professional services business such as Pinsent Masons, embracing diversity and eradicating inequality is both morally right and a strategic imperative as we reinforce our commitment to make business work better for people.

Pay gap explained:

The median shows the difference between the middle earning male and the middle earning female when earnings are ranked in numerical order. The mean is the difference between the 'average' earnings for males and the 'average' earnings for females and will be more influenced by outlying salaries (eg. very high or very low earners).

Pay gap reporting is distinct from equal pay. It does not relate to what men and women are paid for performing the same, similar roles or roles of equal value. We have robust systems in place which safeguard equal pay via regular monitoring. The pay gap reporting regime incorporates data from our workforce across England and Scotland.

Combined employee and partner gender pay gap

Ethnicity pay gap

Sexual Orientation pay gap

Disability pay gap

Pay gap report 2022 is also available here.