Hastings law prof Joan Williams (pictured) and Veta Richardson (executive director, Minority Corporate Counsel Association) have co-authored a report, dated this month, entitled New Millennium, Same Glass Ceiling? The Impact of Law Firm Compensation Systems on Women. The study is based on a survey of approximately 700 female law firm partners and suggests a significant compensation gap exists between male and female partners (approximately $66,000 on average between equity partners, and approximately $25,000 on average between income partners).
The 65-page report is available here, and Newsweek has a related article here.
I think it is terrible that there is such a gap between what a man and a woman will make at a law firm. It is just one more reason you really need to research a place before you work there and find out what to expect. Before accepting a job, or even applying to a firm, I looked into what the law firm compensation was, and what my life would be like when I worked there. Vault gave me some really great information on all of those things and really helped me decide where I wanted to work.