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Paul Hastings is the latest firm to expand its parental leave policy, now offering 14 weeks of paid leave to all attorneys and staff.

Under the new policy, birthing parents will also be entitled to an additional eight weeks of childbirth recovery, raising their total leave to 22 weeks.

“This policy is a key example of our continued commitment to provide support and flexibility for all of our working parents, during one of the most significant moments of their lives,” Greg Nitzkowski, managing partner of Paul Hastings and co-chair of the firm's diversity committee, said in a statement. “An inclusive culture allows all of our people to thrive personally and professionally, making us stronger for our clients and each other,” he added.

Birthing parents are free to use paid leave time at any point during the course of a pregnancy. All parents are free to use their paid leave all at once, or intermittently within a year of a birth, adoption or foster placement.

The new policy goes into effect July 1.

Previously, attorneys and staff at Paul Hastings received disparate benefits. Among attorneys, birthing parents were entitled to 18 weeks of paid leave, while nonbirthing parents could receive six weeks, plus an additional four weeks for primary caregivers. Staff, meanwhile, were entitled to 12 weeks for birthing parents and six weeks for nonbirthing parents.

The new policy is in line with some of the other recent enhancements to parental leave implemented by large firms.

In November, Fried Frank announced that it would grant 12 weeks of parental leave to all attorneys and staff, with birthing mothers also entitled to 10 additional weeks of paid disability leave.

Dechert's expanded policy is similar: 12 weeks of paid leave for all employees regardless of gender, with an additional eight weeks paid for birthing mothers.

When Barnes & Thornburg expanded its policy at the beginning of 2019, it made all attorneys and staff eligible for 16 weeks of parental leave, but did not offer any additional leave for birthing mothers.

Fenwick & West remains on the more generous side of things. Its current policy, unveiled in November, offers 16 weeks of paid leave for its attorneys and professional staff, regardless of gender or caregiver status. Birthing mothers get at least six additional weeks of fully paid pregnancy disability leave. Depending on the timing of the pregnancy-related disability, the amount of paid leave could be as high as 29 weeks.

The upper limit, set by Susman Godfrey, will be hard to surpass. In October, the firm announced it would provide unlimited paid parental leave to its associates, regardless of gender or caregiver status. The hours are be annualized for bonus purposes of up to 18 weeks for women who give birth and up to 12 weeks for any associate.