Law Society publishes guides for new parents

Scottish solicitors, paralegals and other legal services professionals can now benefit from new guides aimed at helping them have a smooth return to work after maternity, shared-parental or adoption leave.

The “Parents in the profession” guides, produced by the Law Society of Scotland in collaboration withThe Talent Keeper Specialists, aim to ease the transition back to work for new parents.

The series of 12 guides explores a range of important issues including highlighting best practice for line managers who have staff on leave and dedicated advice for new dads.

The Society worked with men and women across the legal sector to learn about their positive experiences and combine real-life case studies with an assessment of the legal aspects of leave and other research.

Rob Marrs, head of education at the Law Society, said: “Our equality and diversity research has shown that that there are differing practices across the profession when it comes to parental leave but most obviously to maternity leave.

“It also revealed that there was some really fantastic practice going on and we’ve worked with solicitors from across Scotland to bring this great practice together in one place.

“The guides are full of hints and tips and we hope that they will improve the parental leave experience – and the return to work experience – for solicitors and others working in legal services and their employers. For me, the guide on how best to manage maternity leave for line managers – with its focus on communication and understanding – was particularly useful. For those on maternity leave, the guidance on Keep In Touch days may be worth a look.”

“We would encourage line managers to make their staff aware of the guides if they are about to embark on or return from a period of maternity, shared parental or adoption leave and to use the guide for managers as a resource.”

The guides are available on the Law Society’s website.