Clyde & Co launches significantly enhanced global parental leave policy

Global law firm Clyde & Co has today announced a new globally-consistent parental leave offering available to all employees and partners across the firm with 12 months’ service. At its core, the offering includes access to 26 weeks fully paid leave, regardless of gender or parental role.

The offering seeks to provide employees with greater, more inclusive support when they become parents, more effective support as they transition back to work, and consistent support as they balance ongoing work and family care. 

Effective 1 May 2023, employees and partners in any of the firm’s offices around the world will now have access to full pay for 26 weeks of parental leave, except where local legislation allows for more. The policy replaces previous maternity and paternity leave entitlements to provide a consistent, cohesive offering to all.

The parental leave offering is gender neutral and applies to primary and secondary parents and carers, including adopters. 

Carolena Gordon, senior partner, Clyde & Co says: “Having access, no matter your gender to consistent and flexible parental leave is crucial to so many people both within our firm and across the wider world of work. 

"We know how much goes into starting a family and the challenges that balancing home and work brings, especially when working in a high-performance environment. We want to help our people build careers with us and fulfil their potential here. We also believe our offering is an important means of improving gender diversity, particularly at a senior level where law firms have typically struggled to make significant progress.”

Further elements of the offering include:

•    10 days fully paid leave for fertility treatment 
•    4 weeks fully paid (before 20 weeks pregnancy) pregnancy loss leave for women or anyone suffering a pregnancy loss directly and up to 26 weeks’ paid leave after 20 weeks pregnancy for all, regardless of gender
•    Up to 12 additional weeks’ paid leave for parents with children in neonatal care 
•    Consistent access to back-up childcare provision and five days emergency leave a year 
•    Parental transition coaching and parental leave sponsors for fee earners

Kate Mathias, Chief People Officer, Clyde & Co says: “We are pleased to provide one of the most comprehensive offerings in the industry and one that aligns clearly with our values. People are at the heart of our success as a firm, and we want to ensure everyone is supported to build long and fulfilling careers with us. This initiative was developed following conversations with our firm’s gender equality network and through our employee listening activities.”

“We also want to ensure as many colleagues as possible benefit from the policy which is why we’re extending this enhanced offering to those who are already new parents or may have recently returned from parental leave.”

Employees can access the new policy immediately with retrospective eligibility for those already on, or recently returned from parental leave.