The strategist behind Dentons’ zero gender pay gap

When Jack Meehan talks about his work, he does not start with targets or dashboards. He starts with a mindset shift.

“We have seen what doesn’t work. So, let’s try something new.”

As the architect of Dentons’ Gender360 strategy, Jack has done exactly that. Two years after he wrote and launched the strategy, Dentons has become the first major Australian law firm to close its median gender pay gap to zero. Women now make up 43 percent of non equity partners and 33 percent of equity partners, while men have moved into historically female dominated roles in meaningful numbers, now exceeding 25 percent.

For Jack, though, the story goes deeper than numbers.

He has deliberately moved Dentons away from relying on individuals and “networks” to carry the inclusion load. This year he led the shift from network led activity to firm led, system wide initiatives that sit at the core of how the business operates.

Leave and flexibility were among the first levers. Jack ensured flexible work remained the norm and expanded the firm’s family leave to 26 weeks for all carers, explicitly including grandparents, aunties, uncles and siblings. He also helped introduce bonus wellbeing leave and domestic violence recovery leave. These changes recognise the many ways people care, and the toll that unpaid labour and trauma can take.

Psychological safety is treated as non negotiable. It is built into onboarding, leadership development and daily practice, not left to chance. Gender360 looks at equity from every angle, policy, behaviour, culture and data. Quarterly audits, bias training and evidence based promotions provide the skeleton.

“The muscle comes from our people,” Jack says.

One of the strongest examples is Perspectives, a Gender360 mentoring and conversation series Jack designed. Each session pairs men and women leaders, with two junior hosts interviewing two senior people in every local office. Topics range from leadership and negotiation to business development and pay. Engagement sits at around 70 percent of the firm, a remarkable figure at a time when DEI participation is dropping in many organisations. White men now lead some of the most powerful conversations on inclusion, a shift Jack is particularly proud of.

His approach to barriers is hands on. He rewrote job ads to remove gendered language and actively marketed senior roles to under represented candidates. He partnered with the OWN membership to create employment pathways for women rebuilding after violence, backing this with pro bono legal support to help OWN become a registered charity with DGR status.

He also aligned Dentons’ flexibility policy with its sustainability strategy, contributing to a 50 percent emissions reduction while headcount rose by 37 percent. The same thoughtful design is shared outside the firm, through panels, client briefings and clinics for not for profits building inclusive pay structures.

“This isn’t about Dentons going first. It’s about no one being left behind,” Jack says.
“Even in a world where DEI is under fire, we are still making brave decisions to try new ways that will create equity.”

Jack’s recognition as Best Diversity and Inclusion Manager honours not just a role, but a philosophy, that systemic change is possible when you combine clear data, bold ideas and leaders willing to trust their people.