Canadian Lawyer InHouse

7 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE JULY 2016 A roundup of legal department news and trends it wasn't her intention to look at the gender differences when embarking on the survey, but she realized there was a "statistically sig- nifi cant difference" when evaluating the data. "When I've been delivering this to some of the law fi rms over the last few weeks, some of the partners said they really recog- nize this when dealing with female clients, particularly on the cost side," she says. Men and women also distinguished themselves in terms of their legal spend forecast for the next 12 months with men saying they will increase spending over the next year. Men said they expect to have a 12-per-cent increase in overall legal spend- ing and a 22-per-cent increase internation- ally. Women forecast no increase overall but a 14-per-cent increase internationally. "I was quite shocked when we asked them about their spending forecast that the men were much more likely to be saying they were increasing, on balance, whereas women were more likely to say they were holding spend or decreasing spend," says Hart Shepherd. Then when the survey asked why men and women are attracted to various law fi rms, Acritas found women pay more attention to cost consciousness and fi rms that really demonstrate more effi ciency and other value factors. "Perhaps they are more conscious about value and spend than men are," she says. "Men are more focused on the results and getting the right fi rm with highest quality and reputation." The survey also found that women were more likely to be employed in senior in-house roles in technology fi rms, which is also a cost- conscious industry, says Hart Shepherd. Similar to studies done recently in Can- ada, the Acritas survey looked at how women working in senior in-house legal positions are paid less than their male counterparts. When analyzed around the world, the trend is consistent in big markets except the Asia Pacifi c market where female GCs earn 26-per-cent more than their male peers. The biggest pay gap was seen in Canada where female GCs earn 31-per-cent less than their male counterparts in similar or- ganizations. Women aged 40-50 are "getting the worst deal of all," according to the report, with their pay being 38-per-cent less than men. However, female GCs under 40 are paid slightly more than male GCs. When women reach age 50, the pay gap reduces by half, to a 19-per-cent pay discrepancy. Globally, overall, pay varies dramatically across the board. Twice the proportion of male GCs are paid more than US$500,000 compared to female GCs. On the diversity side, the survey also found "very diverse" teams of lawyers at fi rms achieve a 25-per-cent higher share of in-house spend than those that are not di- verse at all. "Bringing people together who have naturally different perspectives and skills, it's going to end up in a better result if you're bringing in different angles," says Hart Shepherd. IH We would like to extend a very special congratulations to Catherine Peters on her recent Lexpert Zenith Award: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion. As a co-founder of Hicks Morley's Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Catherine was acknowledged for her outstanding efforts in developing and promoting a firm-wide culture of inclusivity and a respectful workplace. Her efforts extend beyond the firm through membership in industry diversity and inclusivity organizations, in which a network of law firms work towards a more diverse and inclusive legal profession. Find out more at hicksmorley.com CONGRATULATIONS hicksmorley.com TORONTO | WATERLOO | LONDON | KINGSTON | OTTAWA Untitled-3 1 2016-06-09 3:44 PM

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