Meridian Lawyers Limited is an incorporated legal practice.
Meridian Lawyers provides legal services in Insurance, Health Law, Corporate & Commercial Law, Workplace Relations & Safety and Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution.
Meridian is committed to gender equity across our organisation and being transparent about our progress. We acknowledge that our average gender pay gap of 44.5% is above the legal industry average, and we want to be clear about the factors contributing to this result and the practical actions we are taking to address it.
Understanding our pay gap
Our gender pay gap does not reflect a difference in pay for equivalent roles. Our remuneration framework is applied consistently, based on role, experience and performance, regardless of gender. At comparable role levels, including paralegal, graduate, solicitor, associate, senior associate and special counsel positions, Meridian has pay parity between men and women.
During the reporting period Meridian continued to experience significant growth, including expansion of our insurance practice and the onboarding of senior practitioners.
Our overall gender pay gap is primarily driven by the higher representation of men in the most senior and highest-earning positions in the firm. These roles are held by Principal Lawyers with long-tenured, established practices who sit in the upper earnings quartile. As a specialist firm with a smaller senior cohort than larger full-service practices, individual high earners have a more pronounced impact on our average pay gap figure.
Positive trends
We are encouraged by a number of developments in the 2024-25 reporting period:
- Our average and median gender pay gaps have both narrowed since 2023 and continue to trend downward
- The last five Principal appointments have been women; 74% of all promotions in the reporting period were also awarded to women, strengthening momentum for building a pipeline of women into senior roles over time
- Pay parity is maintained across paralegal, graduate, solicitor, associate, senior associate and special counsel levels
- The upper quartile, which maintains the largest gap, also reflects the longest tenure for both men and women, indicating this is a structural and historical issue that will shift as our pipeline initiatives take effect.
What we are doing
Meridian is taking active steps to close our gender pay gap, with a particular focus on increasing female representation in senior leadership. We are focused on strengthening women’s representation in the highest‑paid roles and pay quartiles. With women currently under‑represented in the upper quartile, we are working to strengthen pathways and reducing barriers into senior practice leadership and higher‑earning roles.
We are also focused on sustaining and accelerating the leadership pipeline. While women represented the majority of manager appointments during the reporting period, we are committed to ensuring this translates into stronger representation at the most senior and highest remuneration levels over time.
We continue to prioritise:
- A rigorous and transparent remuneration framework that evaluates performance using standardised criteria reflecting both financial and non-financial contributions
- Hiring and promotion practices based solely on merit and qualifications
- Clear and transparent pathways for career progression and promotion to senior roles
- Flexible work practices and a hybrid working model that support diverse career needs
- Investment in leadership development and mentoring programs with a focus on identifying and supporting high-potential female talent.
Looking ahead
Meridian is dedicated to continuous improvement in addressing our gender pay gap. While we recognise the gap at the most senior levels reflects historical patterns in our profession, our trajectory is clear: our gap is narrowing, our promotion pipeline is strong, and we are building the leadership cohort that will deliver meaningful and lasting change.
We remain focused on creating a workplace where all employees are valued and compensated fairly, regardless of gender. We recognise that sustainable change requires persistence, accountability and ongoing investment and we are committed to that work.