How can this be? I'm a little confused that men and women are given different amounts of paid leave?

FIRST

How can this be? I'm a little confused that men and women are given different amounts of paid leave?

How can this be? I'm a little confused that men and women are given different amounts of paid leave?

4 weeks for non-primary caregiver fathers is nice (from both Weil and S&C).

At least dads can know their kids for a month. Seems better than a lot of places.

Ah, it's because men are ninjas and women are pirates. Pirates need more time to get their sh*t together.

Guys in my high school used to get paternity leave all the time, 'twas no big deal.

P.S. YIPEE KA YE!

12:09 - don't be a d-bag...men are pirates and women are ninjas.

because women are the ones who have to carry the child, give birth to the child, have their forever messed up because of giving birth to the child, heal from the massive physical trauma that is giving birth to the child, produce food from their own bodies, wake up hourly for at least 6 weeks straight to feed said child.

Why can't we be equal? Men are bigger than women but we have to let women get jobs as firemen and police officers.

12:18 - WHOOPTY DO. Men are the ones that have to listen to said women while they bitch and moan the entire 6 months - that deserves as much time off dbag..

I think this is great. I want to move to one of these firms now. And get knocked up. ;)

I can help you with that 12:30 - asssuming you're not fugly...

David Tulchin is deeply saddened.

12.22 Wanna trade? Given the average man's pain and discomfort tolerance, I'd love to see you try to carry a child to term, give birth, and then go through painful breastfeeding for months. Then complain about not getting disability leave. People get disability leave after any surgery too btw...

Men vs. Women is the new Ninjas vs. Pirates.

1:55 -- if we trade, will it then be socially acceptable for me to sit on my ass and leech off my spouse instead of having a career? If so, I'm in.

All of the news about increased parental leave is very, very irritating. This is a benefit that only certain employees will ever use. Others will not get the benefit, but will pay the cost. One way they will pay the cost is that firms will have a little less money for increased future salaries, bonis, etc., - - benefits that all (not just a select few) employees are entitled to (assuming similar performance, etc.) The other way they pay the price: guess who has to work more nights and weekeds while these new parents are away from the office? The partners? Wrong: you do. you get to cover your workload and their while they bill 0 hours and get their full salary.

Firms already have vacation and sick time. Why can't new parents just use that??

The last two posts are by far the two most ignorant things I have ever read on ATL.

I agree with 2:16. If firms are going to do this, they should make paid time off available to all employees, without regard to whether they choose to have children while at the firm. Those that do, can use it to take care of their babies. Other employees can take a paid sabbatical to do something they believe is important.

Interesting logic 2:16 (piggybacked by 2:46). On top of that, we could simply say that we would have one kid every 10 months and then be able to take a sabbatical for 18 weeks after every 10 month stretch. Brilliant.

You are retarded.

So some people want kids and need some time off. Big freakin deal. They can't help the rigor their body goes through and god help us all if they can't spend a little time bonding with their babies after birth (as BigLaw attornies, they'll never see the poor kid again). Leave them alone and don't be so damn bitter. Odds are, you are a little pleased your parents weren't too career driven to have you.

I find it interesting that the amount of bitter BS whining that flows through these threads is inevitably typed by some high-paid corporate attorney, not the poor shlub with the crap job. Elitists...I can't figure them out.

You want the world, you get the world, you whine about the world.

A sabbatical after four years or so would be great (since this is around when most female associates start having children anyway). But sadly it ain't going to happen.

Look, everyone that hates this benefit, don't forget the reality. The firm will give women this benefit, but when they come back they aren't really on the track against you anymore.

People who choose to have children are selfish. We will all soon struggle to gain access to valued resources.

Any attorney who can't properly pluralize "attorney" is in no position to call someone else retarded. HTH.

3:13. Now that actually makes sense. Well played.

3:16. That made me laugh out loud...nice one.

Charney recently got several weeks of leave, all of it paid.

Sorry 3:19, I meant "attornieses."

Focusing on typos rather than content, interesting. I was typing fast...sorry for that too.

However, you do raise a very valid point that my argument cannot be considered valid if I don't take the time to type "attornieses." In my experience, members of the grammar police (at least in regards to blogs or informal emails) are also retarded.

Final thought. I have no idea what HTH means. Are those your initials?

Note - I did not proofread nor give much thought to my post. Please do not respond if there is a freakin typo.

women who use this benefit should be thrown off the partnership track and back into the kitchen...to make me a sandwich!!

Don't worry 332, as 313 mentioned, I am sure they are.

Actually, they don't need to go back to the kitchen right away. If we put them on flex time or keep them on "full time" we can still get more money out of them in the 4-8 years (when you associates really bring in the bucks) than we pay them. And that is just more money for my pocket! Woo hoo! Merry Christmas!

Skadden only has 6 weeks- something to consider if you are between firms and plan to have kids.

WAI- WAI- WAIT A MINUTE...

....UMMM....

WOMEN PRACTICE LAW?

the predictably ignorant vitriol directed at mothers every time this topic comes up is just sad. sad sad sad.

it would, however, be interesting to hear from those who have actual experience using parental leave policies at biglaw.

anyone?

10:28, what do you expect from 25 year old boys who make six figures and have insane senses of entitlement? It doesn't surprise me one bit that these pathetic young princes whine about not getting equal treatment. When I was a 25 year old boy, I also thought everyone who got something I didn't get was cheating me. Now that I am a grown-up, I've gotten over it. But with the six figure salaries and phony "prestige" capital fueling their juvenile outlooks, my guess is that these idiots never will.

10:28: Just took three months of paid leave (six weeks paid by the firm, six weeks by disability) and it was great. People were very respectful of not asking me to do things during that time, which was also great. I went right back after the paid leave, but know several new mothers (not fathers) who took a few more months unpaid. I didn't come back to diminished opportunities or anything. I also didn't sense the resentment I'm sensing on this board, but it's likely because I don't give enough of a shit to notice.

Of course women (womyn) can eat their cake and have it too. Have you not heard of equal* rights? And it is not that bad when your toddler hears a loud noise that scares him or her and runs to the nanny instead of you.

*some are more equal than others.