Last Monday the Aotearoa Legal Workers' Union, together with 11 signatories, sent a letter to 47 law firms around the country, encouraging them to become living wage accredited.
"This means committing to paying not only all junior lawyers the Living Wage for all hours worked, but also all other staff and contractors, such as cleaners and caterers," the union says.
"Legal employers must show leadership by taking care of their workforce and setting an example for employers in their region and the nation as a whole."
There are currently 12 legal employers that are living wage accredited Employers. These are: Duncan Cotterill, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Buddle Findlay, Meredith Connell, Anderson Lloyd, Anthony Harper, Presland and Co Lawyers, Darroch Forrest Lawyers, Wesley Jones, Henry Hughes Law and Intellectual Property, Black Door Law, and Lyall & Thornton Barristers and Solicitors.
To clarify - there's a difference between paying staff a living wage and being living wage accredited.
According to Living Wage Movement Aotearoa, to become accredited employers must ensure all workers and contractors are paid a living wage and no changes are made to employment conditions or working hours.
The process includes monitoring and reporting. Employees must also be provided with access to a union.
For context, the living wage hourly rate for the 2022 and 2023 period is $23.65, and will come into effect on September 1, 2022 (on April 1, the minimum age was increased by $1.20 to $21.20, while the "starting out" and training minimums both increased by 96c to $16.96).
Of the 47 firms I contacted, only 13 responded.
Here's what the lucky 13 had to say:
Bell Gully
Communications advisor Aia Jawad said the firm operates in a competitive market and reviews salary levels across the firm regularly. The annual review process, for example, draws on an independent remuneration survey, as well as other reference points including the living wage.
"We look to provide a fair working environment in which our people are a key priority, and there is a continual process of review and engagement with our team."
Duncan Cotterill
Business development and marketing senior manager Saskia Maher said the firm replied to the union's letter with evidence of its accreditation.
"We are working with Living Wage to understand why we haven't been listed on their website."
Cavell Leitch
Principal David Fitchett said the firm paid all of its staff above the living wage level.
Dentons Kensington Swan
Chairman Hayden Wilson said the firm invests heavily in its staff and wellbeing, paying all staff above the living wage. "We are considering whether there is value in obtaining living wage accreditation."
DLA Piper
Head of marketing and business development Natalie Chapman said it was pleased to confirm that all of its directly employed staff were on the living wage.
The firm intended to become living wage accredited and it was in the process of assessing that all indirectly paid workers - including outsourced suppliers - were on a living wage or on agreed milestones, she said.
"While we are interested in what our clients do in respect of their workforces, the decision to pay the New Zealand Living Wage is entirely our own and is consistent with our firm's values."
James & Wells
HR manager Rebecca Pennell said the partnership paid a living wage for all directly paid staff and it was actively considering accreditation.
"Our staff are extremely important to us and we have many initiatives in place to care for them. One of the most important in the current environment is our flexible working programme which enables staff to manage work commitments alongside their personal lives."
Kayes Fletcher Walker
Practice manager Alana Podbielski said all its staff members and cleaning contractor was paid a living wage or above.
Lane Neave
People and capability manager Yvette Hooper said the board would be discussing the union's letter at its next meeting. The firm already paid its employees above the September living wage rates, but it hadn't yet undertaken a review of the many contractors to ascertain whether they were paying living wages to its employees.
Rainey Collins
Partner Alan Knowsley said the firm strongly believed in looking after its staff and has a very whanau-focused approach, which goes way beyond a focus on a living wage
"A tradition our team members love might be considered a bit "quirky" in 2022 by many in the profession, but for over 50 years we have had a tradition of sharing scones baked fresh on the premises by one of our team each Friday.
"We are not accredited as we do not see the need to be given our approach to looking after our staff. We prefer to concentrate on actually looking after our staff in a holistic way in every respect.
"The push to get firms accredited is a push to raise standards. We have taken our approach and will continue to do so as it is the right thing to do."
Russell McVeagh
CEO Jo Avenell confirmed the firm paid a living wage to all of its employees.
"We support the Living Wage movement and are currently looking into the accreditation process, including discussing this with our suppliers."
Simpson Grierson
Senior communications manager Joanne Fullam said the firm paid at least the living wage to everyone, including all of its contractors.
Tompkins Wake
People and performance manager Lindsay Butler said the firm supported the efforts and initiatives of the union to ensure that law firms were a safe and rewarding workplace for their people.
The firm moved all of its permanent, casual, and fixed-term staff onto the living wage in November 2021 and was working through the process to become accredited.
"As you're probably aware, this requires organisations to take a number of steps including working with their supply chains which takes some time. Nonetheless, we didn't want the process to stop us making the change, hence our introduction of the living wage last year."
With regard to outsourcing cleaning and catering services: "We respect other businesses' choice as to how they support their people and would hope that efforts to be an employer of choice and a great place to work provides an example for others to follow."
Wotton Kearney
People and culture manager Tessa Sims said living wage accreditation had been on the firm's radar for over a year.
It was something the firm had hoped to progress this financial year but due to significant changes within the business it was tabled for this year. The accreditation would have no impact on direct employees and contractors.
"Our assessment of the criteria, and speaking with the Living Wage Movement directly, there are a couple of third-party vendors we will need to engage with to ensure they are paying their staff the living wage."
The firm was made up of 73 per cent lawyers, 25 per cent business support, and 2 per cent contractors.