June 2023 will mark the 60th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, when Congress took "the first step" toward addressing the gender pay gap. 109 Cong. Rec. 9193 (1963) (Rep. Frances P. Bolton). Since then, our federal, state and local governments have taken more steps and passed more pay equity laws. Yet "systemic pay inequity and discrimination" persist. New York Senate, Senate Bill S9427A. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, women earn only 83 cents for every dollar earned by men. U.S Department of Labor, Earnings and earnings ratios by sex, race, and occupation group.

NYSBA's Women in Law Section (WILS) will focus on the gender pay gap at its Annual Meeting program scheduled for Jan. 19, 2023. Our keynote speaker will be Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center. Martin will help unpack the wage gap and identify new approaches in public policy that can help shift our culture around gender, pay and work. Our first panel will walk us through the equal pay laws that affect every aspect of the job hunt and hiring process, from job postings, to interviews, to salary negotiations and decisions. Our second panel will highlight why legal employers concerned about business growth and advancement of women must pay attention to issues of pay disparity. The panelists also will present strategies to combat the pay gap and salary negotiating tips to assist women in the legal profession. Finally, we will examine the blurred lines between lawyers' roles as business and legal advisers and provide guidance under the applicable rules of professional ethics.