Dentons wipes out gender pay gap in Australia - but UK still lags

Dentons says that it has eliminated its median gender pay gap in Australia, becoming the first major law firm in the country to report a 0% gap.

The result marks a speedy improvement for the firm, which reported a 15% gap just three years ago. Since then, it has introduced a firmwide strategy focused on recruitment, promotion and pay transparency, alongside policies designed to support work-life balance, including extended paid family leave and flexible working.

"In just three years, Dentons has moved from a 15% median gender pay gap in 2022 to 0% in 2025. It’s an extraordinary achievement", said Australia chair Amber Warren, crediting the firm’s "Gender 360" strategy and “unwavering commitment to gender equity".

Partner and gender group co-sponsor Elise Ivory added: "This milestone is not just a number; it's a reflection of our values and the inclusive culture we've cultivated."

The median gender pay gap takes median hourly pay for male employees and compares it to the median hourly pay for female employees, showing the percentage difference between the two. It highlights how much less a typical woman earns per hour compared to a typical man across the organisation.

UK context: pay gaps persist

While the UK’s largest firms are not required to report on overseas pay gaps, comparisons are inevitable. In the UK, gender pay gap reporting has been compulsory for employers with more than 250 staff since 2017 (all of it publicly available on the UK government's online portal), and although most large firms now have detailed action plans in place, gaps persist, particularly at senior levels.

Osborne Clarke, for example, reported a 25.3% median pay gap in 2024 despite a targeted push for gender parity at partnership level. Ashurst reported a median gap of 20.2% in its London office, while Clyde & Co said efforts to boost female senior fee-earning representation to 33% had helped reduce its mean gender pay gap.

In its latest pay gap report, Dentons' UK business reported a median pay gap of 29.1%, while women’s bonus pay was 40.8% lower than men’s.