Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has filed its gender pay gap figures, with the report revealing that just 11.5% of its female UK employees received a bonus for the year to April 2017.

The proportion of women receiving a bonus is significantly lower than the 30.3% of firm's male staff to get a payout, and both figures are well down on the averages reported by other UK top 50 firms so far.

Across the 18 UK 50 firms to have published their gender pay gap data so far, bonuses were paid to an average of almost 60% of both men and women.

However, BLP's report also states that the firm has virtually equal rates when it comes to average hourly pay for fee earners and business services staff working in comparable roles.

The firm's female fee earners are paid just 0.3% less on average than men, while in business services, men are paid only 1.8% more.

Managing partner Lisa Mayhew said: "The most informative statistics concern equal pay: that is comparability of pay for men and women performing the same or very similar roles. That said, we know that there remains work to do on our firm's gender pay gap. This analysis will help us to shape our actions to achieve a more balanced business going forward."

The firm's report adds that it has a "thorough salary review process", and that for those eligible for the firm's bonus scheme, it is "confident that the criteria allows men and women equal opportunity to earn a bonus".

Across all non-partner staff, the firm's gender pay gap stands at 22.3% in favour of men, with male staff receiving on average 56.4% more in bonus pay.

Women dominate all of the firm's pay quartiles, with the highest-paid group of employees, 53.6% female, and the bottom two quartiles 75.6% and 72.7% female.

The report also details a number of steps BLP is taking to improve diversity, including a 30% target for female partner representation by the end of 2018. The firm says this figure currently stands at 27.8%, and that it is "working hard to meet the 30% by the end of the calendar year".

Last month, BLP voted through a merger with US firm Bryan Cave which will create a 1,600-lawyer transatlantic firm that will be among the 50 largest in the world. The new firm, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, will be led by Bryan Cave chair Therese Pritchard and BLP chief Mayhew, making it the first global law firm to be led by two women.

Other firms to have recently filed their gender pay gap data include Stephenson Harwood, which yesterday (15 March) reported that its male employees are paid on average 24.7% more than women, with an average bonus pay gap of 48.2%.

Forty percent of the firm's male staff were paid a bonus, with 30.1% of women receiving a payout.

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