Eleanor Tanner

Eligible staff will be able to take up to 12 weeks of co-parent leave at full pay, a gender-neutral replacement for the firm’s previous paternity leave of two weeks with full pay.

This leave can be taken in up to two blocks in the 12 months following the birth or adoption of a child and can also be combined with shared parental leave to create up to 26 weeks of enhanced pay (at 100 per cent pay), subject to meeting the relevant criteria.

Shoosmiths will also partner with Apricity fertility clinics to offer an inclusive pathway to fertility guidance and treatment for colleagues. Employees and partners will have access to a free consultation and discounts to their advertised costs for any subsequent treatment.

All changes will be effective from 1 September 2023.

The firm has also launched fully funded access to backup care covering child, adult and pet care through a partnership with Bright Horizons. Every employee will be entitled to access up to a maximum of five days per year when planned care falls through.

The backup care service will launch in September, and colleagues will be invited to join a ‘Work & Family Space’ portal. The portal can be tailored to personal circumstances, giving access to resources such as blogs, advice, and webinars as well as discounts and offers.

Eleanor Tanner, director of people at Shoosmiths, said: “We recognise that our people make our firm what it is – they strive for excellence and deliver that to clients. So, what matters to us is that we do what we can to support them at every stage of their lives.

“By introducing these policies, we are strengthening our overall employee proposition for the benefit of our colleagues and for our future joiners. It is sending a message to the market that if the best talent wishes to join Shoosmiths they will be supported with a generous policy package which has also been developed with inclusivity in mind as part of the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We have been able to make these enhancements because of the firm’s overall growth, with the Board choosing to make investments in people as part of the firm’s overall strategy, and we’re looking forward to seeing these policies in practice in September.”