Are America's paternity rights moving BACKWARDS? Major law firm quietly cuts leave for new parents

A major law firm has quietly cut the amount of paternity leave it offers the majority of its attorneys by six weeks amidst widespread industry layoffs. 

Non-partners at global firm DLA Piper are now eligible for just 12 weeks of paternal leave, down from 18 and less than the 16-week average of most major law firms.

However, birth mothers will have an additional six weeks of leave.

It comes as law firms engage in a jobs bloodbath and hiring freezes sparked by economic uncertainty.

In a statement, communications director Geneva Dawn Youel said the firm had to 'strike a balance' between offering staff competitive benefits while ensuring client work is properly covered.

Non-partners at global firm DLA Piper are now eligible for just 12 weeks of paternal leave, down from 18 and less than the 16-week average of most major law firms.

In a statement, communications director Geneva Dawn Youel (pictured) said the firm had to 'strike a balance' between offering staff competitive benefits while ensuring client work is properly covered

Businesses rarely cut such benefits as they are a crucial pillar of staff recruitment and retention. 

But widespread hiring freezes and layoffs have hit the legal sector. Hiring across the industry fell 35 percent in 2023 compared to the year prior, according to a report by the National Association for Law Placement.

Slashing paternity benefits could therefore be seen as a cost-cutting measure to avoid layoffs, Axios reports.  

Youel told the outlet: 'As a law firm, our top priority is to provide consistent, exceptional client service.

'To meet that goal, we need to strike a balance of providing our lawyers competitive benefits while also ensuring that the firm has proper coverage of client matters. We have done so here.'

DailyMail.com reached out to DLA Piper for comment. 

Experts hit out at the decision as it would hinder their ability to recruit more staff.

Hilarie Bass, former co-president of Greenberg Traurig and former head of the American Bar Association told Axios: 'I think it's a really short-sighted approach. I think it's going to hurt them competitively in the recruiting world.'

Writing for Above the Law, Kathryn Rubino said: 'This is absolutely the kind of thing associates leave firms over — because even if they aren't immediately impacted by the change.

'It shows how little the firm actually cares about their non-partner attorneys.'

A 2022 study shows that the number of organizations offering paid maternity leave dropped 35 percent in that year. It had fallen 53 percent from the pandemic in 2020. 

In April, the participation rate of women in the workforce reached a record high of 77.5 percent, surpassing a peak reached in 2000

The findings, from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), found the proportion of companies offering paid paternity leave similarly fell from 44 percent to 27 percent.

More companies cutting the benefit risks reversing historic gains made by women in the workplace.

Last year the number of women in the US workforce reached its highest level ever, smashing a record set in 2000.

The data, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed gains had been driven by a rise in working mothers. 

Some 73 percent of women with children under 18 were either employed or looking for employment. 

The trend was triggered by a pandemic-induced shift towards hybrid and remote working which made it easier for mothers to balance childcare duties with their careers.