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Ashurst launches 26-week parental leave policy
BigLaw firm Ashurst is introducing a “landmark” global parental leave policy, which it says strengthens its support frameworks for working parents at the firm, regardless of gender.
Jerome Doraisamy
The new policy – which is being backdated to 1 May 2021 – will see 26 weeks of fully paid leave offered to staff members, irrespective of gender identity. Legal staff will also have a three-month reduction in “chargeable” hours targets once they return to work.
Those who suffer pregnancy loss after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy (that is, stillbirth or neonatal loss), however, will have access to the full 26 weeks of paid leave entitlements.
Additionally, Ashurst is set to offer five days of paid leave each year for anyone needing to access fertility treatments.
The firm has made sure, it noted, to remove gendered language “so there is no distinction between primary/secondary and maternity/paternity”.
Finally, the policy makes allowances for surrogacy, foster and kinship care.
Speaking about the new policy, Ashurst chief people officer Andrea Bell said that building tangible support for people building extraordinary careers and a family is critically important.
“Our global parental leave principles recognise the diversity of family life and establish consistent, market-leading support across all of our global offices. This represents a significant enhancement to our existing policies and reflects how we want to ensure that our people get the right level of support,” she said.
“Our commitment to supporting staff wellbeing will also see us introduce a formal pregnancy loss policy. We are committed to providing the most supportive environment that will enable our people to deal with the emotional and physical challenges that pregnancy loss brings.”
Global managing partner Paul Jenkins (pictured) added: “As a global law firm we want to ensure that all our people have access to a globally consistent standard of support. Introducing this progressive new package of measures for our working parents is a key step in that.”
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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