Published May 2019
Our latest survey of gender diversity in Latin American law firm partnerships is accompanied by a focus on compensation and the gender pay gap that results from fewer women than men becoming partners.
Partners sit at the top of the law firm pyramid structure and they have the biggest pay packets. The fact that women are in the minority in most law firm partnerships in Latin America – and indeed the world – is the main reason behind the gender wage gap in the legal profession. Here, we list four common explanations put forward to explain why more women don’t rise through the ranks to become partners.
A survey of some 190 corporate counsel by the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA), which is affiliated to Latin Lawyer, got a mixed response about how important diversity is when it comes to choosing external legal teams. Christina McKeon Frutuoso presents the findings.
The average percentage of partner positions at Latin Lawyer 250 firms held by women is now 23%, barely more than the number we reported when we began tracking partner diversity back in 2013.
For the past two years, many UK law firms have been compelled to publicly disclose the difference between what they pay male and female lawyers. Gender pay gap reporting can be a blunt instrument, but acknowledging a problem is the first step to solving it. We consider the implications for Latin America’s legal market.