DLA Piper has revealed that its male staff are, on average, paid bonuses 53.6% higher than women in the firm's UK gender pay gap report, released yesterday (21 March).

However, when taking the median average, DLA is able to report a 0% bonus gap, a result the firm says is down to "a large population of business services employees receiving an equal, fixed end-of-year bonus amount".

The firm's mean bonus gap is larger than the average of about 30% reported by other UK top 50 firms to date, although the report also shows that more female staff (58.8%) received a bonus than men (53.3%).

Overall, the firm has a mean average pay gap of 17.8% in favour of men. This is higher than the 13.9% gap reported by Freshfields, but below magic circle firms Allen & Overy and Linklaters, which reported 19.8% and 23.2% respectively.

Women make up the majority of employees in all quartiles with the exception of the upper quartile, which is 51% male, with women making up 72% of the firm's lowest-paid quartile.

In a statement released with the report, DLA UK managing partner Sandra Wallace (pictured) said: "We were pleased to be able to show that men and women are equally distributed within the top salary quartile, indicating a relatively equal gender split in the highest paid roles, however there is more work to be done to ensure we strive for a good gender balance at all levels of our organisation."

Norton Rose Fulbright has also published its UK gender pay gap report, becoming one of a small but growing group of law firms to reveal details of partner compensation.

The firm's report reveals than on average, female partners receive 38% more in bonuses than men. However, men are still paid a mean average of 19% more than their female counterparts. The firm's analysis is based on UK partners only and includes all partners in management positions.

Among associates, the pay gap is 0.5% in favour of female associates, although male associates receive on average 5% more in bonuses than women.

Among all other employees – including business services staff, secretarial staff and trainees – men are paid on average 25.5% more than women, with average bonus pay 56% higher than female staff.

When employees and partners are combined, the firm's overall mean gender pay gap is 49% in favour of men, with men paid an average of 61.4% more in bonuses, a result the firm attributed to "the relatively low number of female partners at the senior end of the partnership".

Women also dominate the lowest-paid quartile of staff at the firm, with female employees making up 75% of the group, although within this quartile women are paid on average 15.3% more than their male equivalents.

Other UK top 50 firms to have released their gender pay gap reports include Macfarlanes – where hourly pay for male staff is on average 16.5% higher than for women – and Reed Smith, which went beyond reporting requirements by including details of partner earnings.

The US firm's report revealed that while male partners are paid on average just 0.83% more than female partners, female UK partners received on average 21.5% less in bonuses.