Big Law Partner Pay Inequalities Rose in Past Decade

Top earners in Big Law are making more money than ever, but pay gaps between equity and non-equity partners, lateral and non-lateral partners, between men and women, and along racial lines have widened over the past decade, a new report shows.

Average partner compensation increased 38%, from $640,000 to $885,000, between 2010-18, according to a retrospective survey of partner compensation data compiled by Major, Lindsey & Africa. The retrospective draws on partner data collected every two years over the period.

But the money hasn’t been shared equally. Top-earning partner pay increased 46% over the past decade while the lowest levels ...