Biglaw

Yet Another Biglaw Firm Is Improving Its Parental Leave Benefits For Associates

Firms stepping up their family-friendly policies is something that's worth celebrating.

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If there’s ever been a Biglaw trend worth watching and definitely worth celebrating, this is it. It’s a well-known fact that it’s incredibly difficult for hard-working parents in extremely high-pressure jobs to spend good quality time with their children, and now more and more Biglaw firms are acknowledging that they must change their parental leave programs to get with the times. Now, Sidley Austin has joined the party with extended paid leave that’s gender-neutral.

The firm’s new program includes 14 weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents, and birthing parents will receive an additional 8 weeks of leave, for a total of 22 weeks paid leave. Perhaps most importantly, in its improved parental leave program, Sidley removed its prior primary and secondary caregiver designations, so now anyone may receive these benefits, regardless of gender. From Big Law Business:

“The changes to our parental leave policy reflect the firm’s ongoing commitment to support our lawyers and attract the best talent,” Larry Barden, chair of Sidley’s management committee, said in a statement. “We review our parental leave and other policies on a regular basis to ensure they align with our lawyers’ needs and make Sidley an attractive destination for the next generation of lawyers.” …

“It is important that parental leave policies evolve to reflect societal change, and we recognize that,” Sidley’s Barden said. “We intend to continue to offer appealing benefits that will allow our lawyers to be their best selves, both at work and at home.”

Kudos to Sidley Austin on its new parental leave benefits. Firms stepping up their family-friendly policies is something we’ll continue to pay attention to — particularly as we head into recruiting season. Hopefully your firm is changing its ways when it comes to important policies like parental leave. Please let us know when it happens.

Sidley Austin Increases Paid Parental Leave for U.S. Lawyers [Big Law Business]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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