Lyons Davidson’s 2019 Gender Pay Gap Report and Commentary

In line with the gender pay gap legislation that was introduced in April 2017, we are happy to report on our gender pay gap for workers in scope on the snapshot date: 5 April 2019.

Lyons Davidson headline gender pay figures:

The following data is based on comparison of gross hourly rates of pay in the pay period (including the snapshot date) and bonuses paid in the year up to 5 April 2019. We consider our gender pay gap for 2019 is:

We have a quasi-employed role and whilst the circumstances are exceptional and unique, we’re required to include pay for this role in our gender pay gap report. When this role is included, our gender pay gap for 2019 is 2.7% median and 26.9% mean. The bonus data remains unchanged.

Lyons Davidson has structured job grades throughout the company, with salary bands attached to each job grade, which are reviewed annually. A review of pay by job grade gives us confidence that men and women are paid fairly and equally where they are doing equivalent jobs; average pay gaps are smaller than the reported mean.

Bonus allocation under the annual discretionary bonus scheme is linked to performance measures –annual appraisal scores being one key indicator.  Within our Claimant Personal Injury department there is a quarterly – as opposed to annual – bonus scheme and this scheme has clear criteria for each team and job type. We’re confident that our bonus system is based on fair criteria which is objectively assessed and not linked to gender.  As previously reported, the reason for the gap is because there are fewer men employed in the lower bonus quartile and, as their average bonus is larger, this has a disproportionate effect.

Having analysed the population that received a bonus (either annual discretionary or quarterly), the top 25 highest is made up of 7 men and 18 women. The overall proportion split is shown below:

Our pay quartiles are as follows:

Our gender split on the snapshot date was 65.9% female and 34.1% male (based on full-pay relevant employees included in our data set, i.e. those who did not receive a reduced rate of pay because of unpaid leave or absence). We’re pleased to see that in all quartiles, the proportion of females and males is similar to the overall company split, indicating career progression is not based on gender. We have found this ratio to be in proportion with the Colleges and Universities located near our offices and our gender split is also similar to recent SRA reports of women making up three quarters of the workforce in UK law firms.

The largest job type in Lyons Davidson is Case Handlers. The split of men and women in these roles is 36:64 respectively. We have a number of salary structures that apply to entry level legal roles: this ensures equal pay and progression in these roles for men and women, subject to appropriate performance.

Our continued commitment to ensuring gender equality

We continue to be committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment, as detailed in our Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy.

We review salary bands on an annual basis and take into account sector-appropriate market data.  We will continue to conduct annual salary band reviews and also targeted reviews to ensure that our overall pay gap and any gaps existing by job grade are reduced over time.

We are confident that our existing recruitment process is fair and consistent and adheres to our Equal Opportunities Policy. We are also considering using gender decoders within our job adverts to further ensure there are no gender biases during our recruitment process.

We will continue to listen to our staff through working parties and staff surveys to ensure that we continue to provide a working environment which delivers individual development and career progression.  We were proud to receive the runners up award for Diversity and Inclusion at the 2019 CILEx awards which recognised our efforts in improving opportunities for all in the legal sector.

Michelle Lennaghan

Commercial Director