New paternity leave rights: Browne Jacobson comment

New legislation that gives paternity leave rights from day one will come into force in April, the government has announced. 

As part of the Employment Rights Act, which received royal assent last month, the reforms give employees the right to take unpaid parental leave from the first day in a new job. The government estimates this gives 1.5 million parents more flexibility to share caring responsibilities.

It has also committed to continuing a parental leave and pay review, which will assess the whole system – from maternity and paternity leave to shared parental leave – to understand how it can work better for parents and employers.

Shelley Sutton, Chief People Officer at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said: “Since introducing our equalised family policy 18 months ago, we've seen first-hand that supporting our people through major life events isn't just morally right, it's strategically smart for business. 

“We're particularly pleased to see the government introduce day one paternity leave rights, which address a genuine gap in support for families. 

“We are passionate about improving access to leave for all parents, which is something we've campaigned for with The Dad Shift campaign. These changes will require some commitment from employers to implement, to ensure policies and processes are clear and periods of leave are well planned.

“However, we believe the benefits far outweigh the initial costs and that statutory change will mean all businesses share the benefits we have seen of improved employee engagement and retention – while making Britain more attractive to the best domestic and international talent and boosting productivity.

"More than a year since introducing the policy for our people, we have already received positive feedback from employees, who have commented on how it has enabled a work-life balance for both parents and allowed their careers to continue prospering in tandem.”

Browne Jacobson’s family leave policy

In September 2024, Browne Jacobson announced significant enhancements to its paternity, co-parent and co-adopter leave policies, underlining a commitment to supporting work-home life balance and gender equality in the workplace. This now equalises all the firm’s family policies.

Browne Jacobson now offers up to 26 weeks of leave for all parents – whether they're fathers, co-parents or adopters – with 13 weeks at full pay and an additional 13 weeks at half pay. This move represented a substantial increase from our previous two-week allowance for paternity and co-parent leave. As of January 2026, 16 employees have taken paternity leave in line with the extended policy. 

To ensure the policy's effectiveness, it also implemented measures to ease the transition back to work, such as reduced targets for those returning from leave and a parental peer scheme that buddies new parents with a colleague who has been through a period of parenting leave before.

The family leave policy is part of Browne Jacobson’s broader commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, representing a significant step forward in promoting equality and shared parental responsibility.