Service
Parental and Maternity Leave Legal Cover
A senior lawyer holds the seat for the leave period and hands it back properly — the role stays open.
In short
Parental leave legal cover is a senior lawyer holding an in-house legal seat for the length of the leave, then handing it back in writing on return. The role stays open — we are an external adviser for a defined period, not a candidate for the job.
Next step: tell us the leave dates and what the role covers, and we will scope the cover and the monthly fee. Start here.
Parental leave is planned, which makes it the one legal gap you can get genuinely right. The problem is rarely finding a body — it is that the person going on leave holds context no document captures, and the business has no appetite for a permanent hire it will not need in a year. Parental leave cover solves both: senior capability for the leave period, and a role that is still there when they walk back in.
Why this gap is different
- You know the dates, so the handover can be done properly rather than reconstructed
- The return is expected, so the cover must protect the role rather than compete for it
- The returning lawyer may come back part time, so the cover should taper rather than stop dead
- Recruiting a fixed-term replacement is slow, and good candidates rarely want a role with an end date
What we cover
Scoped to the seat, not to a standard menu. Typically:
- The commercial contracts that arrive during the leave — review, drafting, negotiation
- Being the legal point of contact for the leadership team and the wider business
- Carrying the live matters and their deadlines so nothing lapses mid-leave
- Employment and compliance questions as they come up
- Board or executive reporting where the role included it — see interim GC where the seat is a full GC role
The handover, both ways
We aim to start four to six weeks before the leave begins, so the lawyer going on leave can hand over directly: the live matters, the relationships, the positions the business has taken, the things that are politically sensitive. At the other end we do the same in reverse — a written handover of every matter we touched, the decisions made, the deadlines ahead, and a call to walk through it. Nobody should come back from parental leave and spend a month working out what happened.
If you are engaging us after the leave has already started, that is workable too. We pick the seat up from the documents, the register and the team.
Protecting the role
This matters enough to say plainly: we are engaged as your external legal adviser for a defined cover period. We are not a candidate for the role, we do not present one at the end of the engagement, and the seat stays the returning lawyer's. Cover should not quietly become a replacement.
What it costs
A fixed monthly fee for the agreed scope and availability, so the cost is known for the whole leave period and can be budgeted against the salary that is not being paid. Fees adjust at review points if the workload shifts or the return is phased. See fractional general counsel cost for the broader range.
Related cover
- Temporary legal counsel — an unplanned gap: resignation, illness, a term that ended
- Overflow support — nobody is away, there is just too much work
- Interim General Counsel — cover at full GC level, including the board
- Fractional General Counsel — an ongoing senior legal resource rather than a cover period
Frequently asked questions
How long can cover run?
As long as the leave does. Most run six to twelve months, with the option to extend if additional unpaid leave is taken or the return is part time.
When should we organise it?
Four to six weeks before the leave starts, so the handover happens person to person. Later still works.
Will the returning lawyer still have a role?
Yes. We are an external adviser for a defined period, not a candidate for the position.
Can the cover taper as they return part time?
Yes, and it often should. We reduce the scope month by month alongside the phased return.
Do you work on site?
On site in Sydney or Melbourne where the role needs it, remote otherwise, with a regular standing call either way.
Two ways to start
Get a fixed fee before any work starts.
Answer a few short questions, attach your documents if you have them, and a senior lawyer replies with the scope and the price.
Know what you need? Request a fixed-fee quote and upload your documents. Not sure of scope? Book a short call with a senior lawyer instead.