Our commitment to gender equality at Hall & Wilcox
At Hall & Wilcox, we recognise the vital role we play in creating a more equitable and inclusive future for our people and our profession.
Explanation of Hall & Wilcox organisational structure
Hall & Wilcox is a commercial law firm operating under a partnership structure which includes partners (owners of the firm) and legal teams and employees. Hall & Wilcox has a service company to support the operation of the partnership and includes corporate services teams and employees. The representation of women in the partnership and service company is a differentiated picture when separated by function and team, for example the majority of legal administration and support roles (such as legal assistants and paralegals) are held by women; and by contrast the majority of roles in technology are held by men. This differentiated representation impacts overall pay averages.
Hall & Wilcox remains dedicated to reviewing the gender representation across all parts of our firm and our business and regularly reviewing the impact of this including for the gender pay gap.
Creating an inclusive workplace
Our purpose is simple: to empower our people to thrive. Guided by our core Hallmarks, we have built a culture where every individual is valued and respected. We are committed to ensuring that all our people, regardless of gender, are rewarded fairly for the work they do, with equal opportunities to grow, succeed, and lead.
Addressing the Gender Pay Gap
As part of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, we monitor and report on our gender pay gap. For the period of 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, the WGEA gender pay gap findings were as follows:
- Median Total Remuneration for our Corporate Group: 11.5%
- Average Total Remuneration for our Corporate Group: 10.6%
- Female Workforce Representation: 74%
- Female Representation in Management Roles: 78%
Our approach to closing the Gender Pay Gap
We are committed to closing the gender pay gap and have taken several steps to drive progress. We regularly analyse and track the gap, using both monthly and annual reviews to limit bias on the basis of gender in our recruitment, remuneration and promotion processes. Conducting regular gender pay gap analysis, including annual reviews of promotions and decisions on remuneration determinations.
Strategic actions and targets
To accelerate progress, we have set clear gender diversity targets for 2025, including:
- >40% female representation in national partnership
- >40% female representation on our Board
- >40% female representation among Corporate Services Heads
Additionally, we take the following actions to foster gender equality within our firm:
- Implementing blind recruitment processes to eliminate bias from the hiring stage
- Offering paid parental leave for up to 26 weeks, paid fertility and pregnancy loss leave, and superannuation on paid parental leave
- Promoting flexible hybrid working arrangements to allow our people to balance work and home life
- Running a highly regarded Women in Leadership program and providing mentorship opportunities firm-wide
- Supporting industry-wide initiatives such as the Law Council of Australia’s Gender Equitable Briefing Policy
- Being a signatory to the Law Society of NSW and Law Institute of Victoria’s Charter for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession
- Funding Women Lawyer Association memberships for women, non-binary lawyers, and men as allies
- Holding the WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation
Looking towards the future
We recognise that working towards a fully equitable workplace will require time and persistence. But we are confident that with the right strategies and commitments in place, we can create a more inclusive and gender-equal future for our people, the firm, and the broader legal profession.
We are dedicated to accelerating the pace of change and ensuring that gender equality remains central to what we do.
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