2025 Workplace Gender Equality Act Report – Employer Statement
Zaparas Lawyers are a proud, family-owned personal injury law firm with a positive reputation for being supportive of our team.
2025 is our first year reporting to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). At our census date (31 March 2025) that informed our 2025 WGEA report, women made up 82.7% of our total workforce. Our report findings mark an important step in increasing transparency and driving meaningful change.
Gender pay gap analysis
Our pay gap analysis has centred on examining the difference in median pay between the genders. We consider this to be a more reliable measure of the middle of the dataset and provides a more accurate picture of what is typical as opposed to the average which is more affected by outliers and skewed data.
Our median Base Salary Gap is 22.1% and our median Total Remuneration gap (including bonuses, superannuation, and other benefits) is 21.2%.
Our average base salary gender pay gap is 34.9% and our average total remuneration gender pay gap is 39.2%. The difference between the median and average results reflects the impact of higher remuneration levels and additional pay components within senior and key management roles.
A significant portion of our female workforce are employed in legal support, administrative, and shared services roles, which are traditionally lower paid than legal roles. We have found this to be the main contributor to the gender pay gap in our firm.
Cohort analysis: Legal roles including Senior Associates, Associates and Lawyers
Our analysis shows that:
- Our female Lawyers median base salary is 10.1% and median total remuneration is 9.7% higher than their male counterparts.
- Our female Associates median base salary is 0.5% and median total remuneration is 0.7% higher than their male counterparts.
- Our female Senior Associates median base salary is 21.9% and median total remuneration is 28.4% lower than their male counterparts.
In examining the pay gap in the Senior Associate cohort we found there a several contributing factors, including:
- Workload and performance: Individual salary reflects the volume of files (file load) and complexity of work each person manages, as well as their overall performance including billings and revenue generated for the firm.
- Role scope: Some Senior Associates take on additional responsibilities such as managing branch offices, leadership management tasks which impacts remuneration.
- Practising experience: There is a variation in years of experience among Senior Associates. Few of them held this position for several years, while many of the female Senior Associates have been more recently promoted (see “Career pathways” below). This difference in tenure impacts the current pay levels.
Cohort analysis: Legal Support & Shared Services
This includes legal support and administrative roles. Of the employee population in this category, 88% are female. The median base salary is 1.5% and median total remuneration is 2.8% higher for a female employees in this cohort compared to the male population.
Conclusion
These findings underscore the need to continue building pathways for women into senior and fee-earning positions, while also reviewing our structures and support systems across all levels of the business.
Career pathways
We’re committed to reviewing our talent pathways, development opportunities, and recruitment practices to attract, develop and retain the best people in personal injury law.
Our annual promotions cycle supports our dedication to recognising talent and fostering internal growth, creating meaningful opportunities for advancement.
In 2024, 16 women were promoted across various roles within the firm, and in 2025, we have 18 women promoted. Currently 33% of our Salaried Partners and 64% of our managers are women.
Opportunities for extra incentives
Outside of our base salary, we offer an incentive program accessible to all our employees. Relevantly for our female lawyers, 19% of whom are employed on a part-time basis, our performance targets are prorated based on the FTE status of the participant; however, the actual reward is provided at the quantum as if they had been working full-time. This provides an opportunity for greater reward.
Outside of the bonus scheme, we offer additional incentives to recognise and reward contributions to our firm including an employee referral reward, Google review incentives, and the Quarterly and End of Year Zaparas Awards which are awarded to team members who demonstrate commitment to our principles of helping our people, our clients, and our community to thrive.
Supporting workforce flexibility
At Zaparas Lawyers, we are committed to fostering a workplace that promotes equality, inclusion, and support for all employees. Our policies and culture reflect our recognition of the importance of flexibility, career continuity, and wellbeing.
We offer flexibility to all employees, with a strong emphasis on supporting new parents and those returning from parental leave. We understand that transitioning back into the workforce after having a child can be challenging, and we are proud of our flexible working arrangements which include customisable working hours and gradual return-to-work plans.
Our approach ensures that all employees, particularly new parents feel empowered to return to work at a pace and manner that suits their needs, without compromising their career growth.
Leave entitlements
Our leave offerings are designed to reflect the diverse needs of our workforce and to promote work-life balance, wellbeing, and social responsibility. These include both statutory entitlements and additional benefits unique to Zaparas Lawyers such as:
- Up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave, depending on an employee’s tenure, starting with a minimum of 12 weeks for those with at least 1 year of service.
- Access to 2 days of paid Wellbeing Leave per year, to support time off for personal, spiritual, cultural, and community wellbeing.
- Paid office closure leave over the festive season.
Welfare and Personal Safety
We prioritise the welfare and personal safety of our employees, particularly those in client-facing roles. In response to feedback from our People at Work survey, we have implemented targeted measures to support staff in managing aggressive or challenging client behaviour. This includes training on de-escalation techniques, reporting protocols, access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and wellbeing check-ins. These initiatives ensure our people feel equipped, supported, and safe in their day-to-day roles.