By Ashley Young-
White solicitors are earning a third more than their Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues who are working longer hours to prove themselves, a report published by the Law Society today reveals.
The Law Society commissioned the research quietly at the start of the year to assess the progress made towards achieving greater inclusivity in the legal profession. Society president David Greene said the findings show that BAME solicitors face barriers ‘at every step of their career’.
The research was revealing in its details of earning differences between the white and BAME solicitors. It revealed that full-time BAME solicitors work an average of 1.5 hours more per week than their white colleagues. They earn an average £27.01 per hour whereas their white colleagues earn £36.13 per hour.
The average annual salary, including bonus, for a white full-time solicitor was revealed to be £85,912, in contrast with £62,291 for an Asian or Asian British solicitor and £60,138 for a Black/African Caribbean/Black British solicitor.
Experience
The report goes on to state that white solicitors are, on average, typically older and have more experience than BAME solicitors, ‘which, it could be argued, possibly inflates salaries for this group.
However, when reviewing remuneration within age groups, we see that in almost every group and working level, white solicitors still receive a higher salary than BAME solicitors’, the authors of the report said.
The report did not highlight any disparities in the qualifications of the white and black solicitors belonging to similar age groups in order to assess if their could be other factors influencing the difference in income between white and BAME solicitors.
Details about their relative academical qualifications in law was not included in the research, but is still to be explored. Some lawyers have suggested a release of more in depth detail about the differences in professional competence between both white and black solicitors, and background strength.
A third of Black African and Caribbean solicitors said they experienced some form of discrimination or bullying at work – the highest reported experience of any ethnic group.
Glass Ceiling
The report spoke of a ‘glass ceiling’, which limits the professional progress of BAME solicitors. It features an Asian male solicitor who recalled losing out on promotion to a white woman who had two years’ post-qualification experience.
The male solicitor who had been at the firm for eight years said: ‘They were very good at making you grateful for having a job in the first place and secondly, they were very good at squeezing the extra ounce out of you, and dangling the carrot of promotion,’ he said.
The report concludes with recommended actions for firms on entry to the profession; retention, development and progression; inclusion; and data and evaluation.
Researchers said they found barriers for BAME practitioners at every step of their career – including the ethnicity pay gap, microaggressions and the need to fit a certain culture to progress,’ he said.
‘We hope our research and recommendations will give firms and legal businesses important food for thought and a much-needed blueprint for driving equality and inclusion up to the most senior levels.’
Some lawyers believe