Narrative Report on Gender Pay Gap 2025

Chambers and Partners UK

Published on 1 April 2025

Executive summary

To prepare our UK Gender Pay Gap Report, we analysed the hourly pay and bonus pay of our 535 UK-based employees, using a snapshot date of 5 April 2025.

Hourly pay gap: The overall mean gap is 18%, and the median gap is 10%.
Bonus pay gap: The overall mean gap is 33%, and the median gap is 38%.

When compared with the 2024 UK figures:

The mean hourly pay gap has narrowed by 1%, and the median hourly pay gap has improved by 2%

The mean bonus pay gap has increased by 21%, and the median bonus pay gap has increased by 26%.
The overall mean hourly pay gap is 19%, and the median is 12%. The overall mean bonus pay gap is 12% and the median is 12%

We are encouraged by the progress in reducing the hourly pay gap and will build on the momentum to focus on improving the bonus gap.

Introduction

At Chambers and Partners, we are committed to building a fair, inclusive, and equitable workplace where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Publishing our Gender Pay Gap Report is an important part of this commitment, as it allows us to be transparent about where we stand, celebrate the progress we have made, and focus on the areas where further improvement is needed.

This report is based on a snapshot of pay data taken on 5 April 2025, covering our 535 UK-based employees. In line with the UK Government’s reporting requirements, we have analysed differences between men and women in terms of:

Hourly pay (mean and median)
Bonus pay (median and mean)
Pay distribution across quartiles

Our results highlight both progress and challenges. While we have seen improvements in reducing our hourly pay gap compared with 2024, we recognise that our bonus pay gap has widened and requires focused action.

Beyond compliance, we view this report as an opportunity to drive meaningful change and a chance to strengthen our culture of fairness and inclusion.

Analysis

All employees

Proportion of males and females in each quartile band

Graph showing 2025 quartile bands for proportion of males and females at Chambers UK

Graph showing 2024 quartile bands for proportion of males and females at Chambers UK

The data shows that we’re moving in the right direction towards a more balanced workforce across pay levels.

In the upper quartile, women now make up 40%, up from 39% last year.
In the mid-upper quartile, women’s representation has increased to 48%, compared to 46% in 2024.
In the mid-lower quartile, women continue to be strongly represented at 58%, compared to 57% in 2024.
In the lower quartile, women remain the majority at 59%.

Overall, we’re seeing steady improvements, particularly in the upper and mid-upper pay bands. Additionally, the decrease in the female majority in the lower quartile reflects progress, showing that more women are being recruited or promoted into mid-level and higher positions compared to last year. This is a positive sign that our efforts to support career progression and gender balance are working. We’ll keep focusing on building this momentum, especially at the more senior levels.

Hourly rate and bonus pay

Compared to the UK 2024 report, hourly pay shows improvement with the mean gap decreasing by 1% and the median gap narrowing by 2%, indicating progress toward fairer base pay. In contrast, bonus pay disparities have increased, with the mean gap rising by 21% and the median gap increasing 26%, highlighting an area for further focus and action.

Proportion of male and female employees receiving a bonus payment

Graph showing 2025 bonus payment for male and female employees at Chambers UK

Graph showing 2024 bonus payment for male and female employees at Chambers UK

In 2024, bonus distribution was 93% of males and 94% of females receiving bonuses. In 2025, the proportion of declined for both groups, with 90% of males and 86% of females receiving bonuses.

Looking ahead

Looking at this additional analysis, we can identify a number of focus areas for us:

Continue to develop and advance our female talent, ensuring their progression into the upper quartiles of each function by implementing succession planning to maintain a pipeline of women moving through these levels.
Monitor internal promotion and attrition trends across all functions to ensure women are supported and progressing.
Work with the wider business and certain functions to understand why we are losing women between middle lower and middle upper quartiles.
Identify and share insights to further investigate the drivers of the gender and bonus pay gap, focusing on bonus allocation, performance, and career progression.
Focus on identifying ways to strengthen succession planning and monitor promotion and attrition trends to ensure women are progressing, especially into senior roles.

Work with the wider business and certain functions to track progress to ensure consistent delivery and learning across the business.

Each member of the Leadership Team has continued their commitment to being an Executive Sponsor within the INSPIRE Committee, a committee run by our dedicated internal DEI Team.

Through our investments in DEI and People, we will continue to take actions to identify and address any gaps in order to ensure Chambers is an inclusive workplace for all.