The latest In-House Counsel Compensation and Career Survey from the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and The Counsel Network has found that, on average, female lawyers working in legal departments across Canada are still earning around 15 per cent less than their male colleagues.

Gap unchanged

Legal departments in government, Crown and non-for-profit organisations have a higher percentage of female lawyers compared with men. However, men are still out-earning their female colleagues in every single sector except one—government, where there is pay parity between male and female lawyers. The average salary gap of 15 per cent has not changed since 2012, when the last survey was conducted.

'We should, in fact, start to see that gap shrinking,' commented The Counsel Network managing partner Sameera Sereda.

More pay, less experience 

According to the survey results, the average annual base salary for female in-house lawyers in Canada is around $152,000, a full $26,700 a year less than the $178,000 annual salary averaged by their male colleagues. What's more, the survey found that men working in-house carry, on average, fewer years experience as both legal counsel and senior counsel than their female colleagues, yet continue to out-earn them.

Start from the top 

The pay gap doesn't appear to be budging—so what's the solution? According to Ms Sereda, ensuring equitable pay for in-house lawyers need to start from the top of each organisation.

'It's very much tied to the boards,' she said. 'There's been a lot of discussion about board diversity and women on boards. The more women we have on boards, the more board influence there will be on hiring senior positions in companies.'

Sources: Corporate Counsel; Canadian Lawyer Mag