One of General Electric's (GE's) most senior lawyers is leading a $500m (£252m) class action against the company on behalf of its senior female employees.

Lorene Schaefer, general counsel of GE's transportation arm, claims that the multibillion-dollar conglomerate systematically discriminates against its female lawyers.

The lawsuit, which was filed yesterday (31 May), accuses the company of paying its female lawyers and executives less than their male counterparts and failing to promote them to senior executive positions.

Schaefer filed the case after learning in April that she was to be demoted from her position and said that she is seeking damages for 1,500 female executives and lawyers at GE who have also been subject to alleged gender discrimination.

GE placed Schaefer on administrative leave after she complained about her pending demotion.

High-profile GE general counsel Brackett Denniston and chief executive Jeffrey Immelt have been named as defendants in the case, along with another 12 of the company's senior executives.

Shaefer, who is being advised by Washington DC firm Sanford Wittels & Heisler, said that a glass ceiling remains a 'fact of life' for women at GE, preventing them from making inroads into the company's 'good old boy' culture.

She said in a statement: "I have suffered from discrimination, but I am not alone. This is why this action has been filed on behalf of an entire class of women who have been denied promotional opportunities and other benefits of employment. These aren't incidental acts of discrimination; they are continuing."

The lawsuit, one of largest employment class action discrimination cases in US history, asks for a change in pay policies.

A GE spokesperson said: "We deny the allegations and will fight them vigorously in court. All you have to do is look at our annual report – you can see there that women run businesses which represent more than $40bn (£20bn). There are more women in bigger jobs at GE than ever before. Her career demonstrates this. She went on administrative leave at her own request."