Clifford Chance paid working class staff 44.1 per cent less than employees from professional families
Employees at Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance, whose parents work as plumbers, electricians, or train drivers, took home significantly less pay in 2021 than staff whose parents work as teachers, accountants or solicitors.
Clifford Chance employees from working class families earned 44.1 per cent less last year than staff at the law firm from professional backgrounds, the Magic Circle law firm has said in its 2021 pay gap report.
At the same time, workers at the London law firm whose parents worked as secretaries, call centre agents, and restaurant managers took home 24.4 per cent less than their colleagues from professional families.
The London law firm also said its female employees also earned 35.3 per cent less las year than its male staff, while disabled workers earned 34.4 per cent less than able bodied ones.
In explaining its gender pay gap, the law firm blamed the discrepancy on the “high proportion of women in secretarial roles”, as it noted that just 24.3 per cent of its partners are women.
However, Clifford Chance said staff from ethnic minority backgrounds earned 3.2 per cent more than white employees, despite the fact they were less likely to receive a bonus. Equally, LGBT+ employees at Clifford Chance earned just 2.7 per cent less than straight employees.
As one of the largest law firms in the world, Clifford Chance traces its origins back to the early 19th century. Today, the London firm employs around 3,300 lawyers and more than 7,000 staff.
The Canary Wharf headquartered law firm currently pays its newly qualified lawyers salaries of £107,500 while partners at the firm receive around £1.85m a year.