BSB agrees to change parental leave rules to make them fairer

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has agreed to change parental leave rules to enable all self-employed barristers to take leave, regardless of whether their spouse or partner has also done so. The proposed changes would mean, among other things, that:

• parental leave would be made available to every member of chambers who becomes a parent or a carer of a child preceding or following birth or adoption;
• parental leave entitlement should constitute, as a minimum, a period of one year away from practice; and
• the rule should apply to all mothers, fathers and adoptive parents, as well as the married, civil, and de facto partners of biological or adoptive parents.

BSB Director of Strategy and Policy Ewen MacLeod said: "The rule change will allow barristers to share parenting, by allowing them to take whatever leave they want up to a whole year, without having to compromise the other parent's ability to also take a whole year of parental leave. We think this could help the Bar to retain those with parental responsibilities by making it easier for self-employed barristers to combine work and family life. This could help with efforts to encourage more gender diversity within the profession, especially at the senior end."

Chair of the Bar Andrew Langdon QC said: “This is a watershed moment which challenges the assumption that one parent should have to take more time out of their career, and take on more caring responsibilities, than the other. […] We know that women who leave the Bar for extended periods of time, such as for maternity, find it hard to come back. This move will help to place both parents on a more equal footing.”