Protégé: It’s time for new lawyers to have ‘frank and honest discussions’ about salary

Sep 27, 2021

From their first pay cheque, new lawyers should be having open discussions about their salaries with peers to familiarise themselves with the prejudices and the structural discrimination that exists in the profession, one graduate lawyer said.

In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by graduate lawyer Taylah Spirovski in an important conversation about new lawyers being open and honest when it comes to their salaries and the hiring processes. By removing the pay secrecy, the profession can take steps to address its many concerns.

Taylah shared that this “normalised rudeness” that can come with discussing money with friends and colleagues has led to pay secrecy, which in turn has “direct implications on the workforce” and, importantly, the lives of women, people with disabilities, people from marginalised communities and many others.

“My overarching thought is that law students and young and new lawyers need to familiarise themselves with the prejudice and the structural discrimination within the legal profession as soon as they possibly can. Ultimately, this is going to change outcomes for themselves. Pay secrecy is basically a lack of truth, and it breeds discrimination,” Taylah commented during the episode.
As part of the episode, Taylah also discussed other important topics that new lawyers should be having with their peers, including prejudices they face at work.

“I think that law students and young lawyers would benefit so much from having conversations with each other about this kind of prejudice, including their own experiences and obviously, the experiences of others that have been recounted in books and research that have come before them for decades,” she said.

Have a listen below!

If you have any questions about the episode or if there are any topics that you might want us to look into, please reach out – we would love to hear from you!

We’re also always open to new guests so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you’re standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch.

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