From Courtroom to Crib: Preparing Your Practice for Parental Leave
*Zina L.B. Scott
Taking parental leave as a lawyer can feel like stepping away from a moving train. But with smart planning and a proactive mindset, it’s possible to care for your clients and your growing family. Here are some practical tips and tricks for managing your legal practice while preparing for parental leave.
Start Planning Early
As soon as you know that you will be taking a parental leave, start preparing. Create a timeline that includes key milestones like notifying clients, delegating work, and wrapping up active matters. Early planning reduces last-minute stress and gives you time to problem-solve.
Communicate with Clients Transparently
Inform clients as early as you are comfortable with, so clients have plenty of notice. Communicate clearly and professionally. Assure them of continued support by explaining your coverage plan (e.g., a colleague stepping in or adjusted timelines. Clients will appreciate your honesty and preparation.
Delegate
If you work in a firm, coordinate with colleagues to transfer matters and set expectations. Begin copying the counsel who will be handling your files on communications with clients, so that if your leave begins, there is a seamless transition and everyone is up to speed. Update your mentors or the committee at your firm that manages associates so that they are in the loop on your plans for coverage of your file. Seek support from trusted mentors in establishing coverage for your files if needed.
Update Systems for Continuity
Make sure your practice management systems — calendars, client files, document management system, Outlook inbox, and deadlines — are up to date and accessible to those covering for you. Work with your assistant so that your whole team knows the plan for when you begin your parental leave. Prepare transition memos for all of your files that identify the client, their contact information, an overview of the matter and any urgent deadlines or Court Orders, and upcoming next steps.
Build a Buffer
In the weeks leading up to your leave, aim to avoid new commitments and resolve as many open matters as possible. Give yourself a buffer to account for any unexpected complications or needed transition time.
Set Boundaries (and Stick to Them)
Decide in advance how much contact you want during leave — if any — and communicate this to clients and colleagues. It's okay to fully unplug. If you’re staying loosely involved, set clear “office hours” and boundaries for your availability.
Schedule a Reentry Plan
Before you go, plan how and when you’ll return. Will it be part-time for a few weeks? Do you need childcare support lined up? A structured return can ease the transition and reduce overwhelm.
Final Thoughts
Being both a committed lawyer and a present parent is possible — it just takes intention and flexibility. Parental leave isn’t a professional setback; it’s an opportunity to refine your systems, build trust in your team, and return with renewed focus.
Your clients will understand. Your career will be there. And the work will wait — your baby won’t.
* Zina is a lawyer in the McKercher LLP Regina office and practices primarily family law, child protection, insurance defence, and civil litigation. Zina obtained her Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan in 2017. She articled with McKercher LLP in 2017 and joined the firm as an associate in 2018.