It is great to see another news item on The American Lawyer website that puts a spotlight on the mental health and wellness of those employed in law firms. In this case, the focus is on how Paul Hastings LLP – like several other major firms recently – has upped its game a notch in the area of parental leave.

Dan Packel’s article reports that the international law firm – based in Los Angeles and with 22 offices worldwide – “now offers 14 weeks of paid [parental] leave to all attorneys and staff,” and that birthing parents are eligible for an additional eight weeks for childbirth recovery. “All parents are free to use their paid leave all at once, or intermittently within a year of a birth, adoption or foster placement,” Packel writes.

Parental leave does cost firms money, so it is refreshing to see a law firm that is not only offering a benefit, but is including those who are not lawyers.

I say “Good job, Paul Hastings.”  I hope other firms follow suit.

Please contact me with your thoughts on this or any other matter relating to the management of your law firm, either in the comments section below, or directly via email.