In America’s law firms, women lawyers statistically earn less than their male peers. Indeed, every recent study of attorney compensation has identified a persistent pay gap between male and female law firm lawyers. Legal search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa’s 2020 Partner Compensation Survey showed that male partners out-earned female partners by 44%. While this was a marked improvement over the troubling 53% earning gap reported in 2018, the disparity between male and female lawyer pay remains significant. An inequality of this magnitude could result in women missing out on millions of dollars in earnings over the course of their careers.

So what explains the pay disparity? Research shows that a number of factors contribute to the gender pay gap in law. One thing is clear from the data: Women lawyers are not paid less than their male partners because they work fewer hours or produce inferior work. In fact, studies consistently show that women work more efficiently (billing fewer hours than men for particular tasks) and women’s average annual billable hours exceeds that of their male colleagues.

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