How Is Your Firm's Parental Leave Policy?

We're updating the only comprehensive summary of Biglaw maternity and paternity leave policies.

Many of the reactions to Weil Gotshal’s April Fail email were pretty cynical. As in, “We know Biglaw ‘work/life balance’ is a pipedream, why rub our faces in it?” Others were more earnest: “This terrible state of affairs is not a fit subject for jokes.” Either way, nobody laughed. Law firm work/life balance: it’s just not funny. And of course the whole issue is least hilarious when it concerns attorneys with families. (As opposed to generally — see Joe Patrice’s explanation of why the Biglaw business model precludes any genuine commitment to work/life balance for anyone actually.)

Parental leave policy is one area, at least, where Biglaw’s occasional rhetorical pledge to some sort of balance must take tangible form. Of course, not all firms offer the same approach. It has been seven (!) years since ATL has asked our audience about their employers’ maternity/paternity leave policies. Back in 2008, roughly three-fifths of our survey respondents reported that their firms offered 12 weeks of paid leave. Another 17% of firms reportedly had adopted an 18-week leave policy. You can check out the full list of firms — from Akin Gump to Womble Carlyle — here. As outdated as it might be, this is the only comprehensive summary out there (as far as we know).

Please let us know if or how these policies have developed since then. Take a couple of minutes and update your firm’s parental leave policies (and related perks and benefits). We will share our findings and update our information in time for Mother’s Day. Thanks!

Parental Leave Survey [Above the Law]

Earlier: Biglaw Firm Makes Big Joke Out Of Work/Life Balance

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