Bristol-headquartered national law firm TLT has significantly enhanced its family leave policy in what it is calling a progressive shift in its working practices.
The firm, which employs more than 130 partners and employs around 1,150 people across its seven offices, said the move was also aimed at improving gender equality at home and in the workplace. 
Under the change, its maternity, adoption and shared parental leave entitlement has been increased to up to 16 weeks’ paid leave and 16 weeks’ half pay.
It has also increased paternity leave to four weeks’ paid leave – a doubling of the previous offering.
The enhanced policy also provides four weeks’ paid parental bereavement leave, as well as offering parents or carers of disabled children paid leave to attend hospital appointments
By law, employees are entitled to parental leave of up to four weeks per child per year and each parent can take up to 18 weeks of parental leave in total for each child, until the child turns 18.
However, there is no obligation on employers to pay staff taking this leave.
TLT has also taken a ‘ramp down, ramp up’ approach, giving staff transitioning to and from family leave the chance to reduce their hours to 80% in the four weeks preceding leave and eight weeks returning from maternity, adoption and shared parental leave without an impact on compensation.
The new policy also removes the qualifying criteria of one year’s service for enhanced provisions. 
In comments made at the time as its annual results in July, TLT said it planned to build a “progressive workplace” agenda.
It described the newly introduced parental leave enhancements as part of this “progressive and inclusive working approach” .
TLT chief people officer Helen Hodgkinson, pictured, said: “At TLT we believe that having a career and a family aren’t mutually exclusive.
“By providing family-friendly benefits that are directly linked to feedback from our people, we are removing barriers and providing support which will allow us to retain and recruit the best people.
“Earlier this year we announced a significant, long-term shift in our working practices to create a fully flexible and inclusive work environment.”
She said the changes put TLT firmly into the upper quartile of family leave provisions among legal services employers.
“Our ramp down, ramp up approach, in particular, is rooted in specific organisational barriers and we hope that this, along with our increased paternity leave, will allow even greater flex in who can be a full-time care-giver to a child and go some way to improving gender equality at home and in the workplace,” she added.
TLT managing partner John Wood said the firm understood the long-term advantages of providing a flexible and inclusive workplace and the importance of having policies in place that boost equality in the workplace and at home.
“To this end, we have kicked off a two-year multi-million pound investment programme to deliver a digital and physical workplace that supports choice, inclusion and sustainability which will empower our people to be at their best, ensuring that we can continue to build on our momentum and deliver for clients,” he said.
Last month TLT was crowned Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2021 in recognition of its innovation.
The firm has particular experience advising organisations in the clean energy; digital; financial services; leisure, food & drink; public sector; real estate; and retail & consumer goods sectors.
As well as its Bristol headquarters TLT also has offices in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Piraeus in Greece.
