TLT has published results of its sixth gender pay gap revealing the lowest recorded pay gap since the firm began reporting.

The report shows that TLT LLP’s mean and median employee pay gaps decreased to 16.3% and 25.9% in 2022, from 17.8% and 27.6% in 2021 respectively. In addition to firmwide progress, the report also reveals a tightening of the pay gap for other legal and business services whereby the mean pay gap has decreased from 17% to 12.4%. For lawyers, the mean pay gap has reduced by 1%. 

These positive results showcase the progress the firm has made in addressing gender imbalances across pay quartiles. As reported in previous years the report reveals that the biggest influencing factor impacting the gender pay gap is the number of men in higher paid roles. Indeed, as of April 2022, although women are represented in greater numbers than men in every pay quartile, the proportion of men in the upper quartile (32.0%) relative to their population size is greater than the proportion of women (22.0%) in the same pay quartile. In contrast, women are overrepresented in the lower quartile (26.4%) relative to their population size and compared with their male counterparts who are underrepresented (22.0%). 

This announcement follows a milestone year for the firm, during which it announced a milestone of 31.5% female partners and made significant progress in improving inclusivity in the workplace. On International Women’s Day 2023, TLT introduced free menopause testing service for all women, alongside enhancing support with new initiatives designed to help colleagues going through menopause.  

In addition, the firm has attributed progress in relation to its mean and median pay gap to its long-term equality strategy, which has seen the delivery of a number of positive changes in recent years including:  

  • improved parity between men and women receiving a bonus – 2022 was the first year more women have received a bonus than men  
  • improving representation across the pay quartiles, most notably in the lower quartile where the proportion and percentage of men has increased, and the proportion and percentage of women has decreased. 
  • more women in higher earning roles – in March 2022 the firm achieved 30% female partnership  

Examples of initiatives, which have contributed to the firm’s progress have included introducing:  

  • a career grading structure for business services aimed at improving career development  
  • new career pathways providing lawyers and paralegals with a new approach to managing their careers providing greater transparency and removing gender-bias language from job roles 
  • a new bonus scheme to better recognise performance across the whole firm, including business services where female representation is higher  
  • TLT’s first pregnancy loss policy offering paid leave for those who experience early-stage pregnancy  

The firm also revealed it has improved ethnic diversity across the firm with BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) representation increasing by 1.4% in the last twelve months. However, increases in the mean and median pay gap demonstrate that BAME employees are joining the firm in lower paid roles. Figures show that BAME representation has increased by 4.7% and 3.6% in lowers and middle paid roles and it has decreased to 9.4% in higher paid positions.  

In the last year, TLT has launched several initiatives as part of its commitments to improving ethnic diversity in higher paid roles in order to close the ethnicity pay gap. These have included launching:  

  • a graduate apprenticeship and a legal solicitor apprenticeship, offering two new routes to qualify as a solicitor 
  • inclusive leadership training for TLT’s equity partnership to develop awareness and competencies in managing across cultures and differences  
  • several measures to address race-inclusion including updating messaging to include zero tolerance of racism and implementing a mentoring programme for the BAME network to engage, learn and educate senior leaders.  

Helen Hodgkinson, chief people officer at TLT commented:  

“Now in our sixth year of reporting, I’m pleased to be able to share that – whilst we still have plenty to do to close our gender and ethnicity pay gaps - TLT is making great strides in reducing its gender pay gap. I’m proud to be able to report the lowest recorded pay gap since we began reporting, directly linked to the firm’s robust equality strategy, which has seen us introduced a number of impactful and progressive initiatives throughout the year.  

“We’ve worked hard in the last sixth years to ensure inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do. Results from this year’s report demonstrate that this has started to trickle down into real, tangible results. I’m confident that we’re continuing to carve out our place as the most progressive and inclusive law firm in the country.”  

 
 

Date published

27 March 2023

Contacts:

RELATED INSIGHTS AND EVENTS

View all