In-house lawyers - maternity pay/package

[Newmummytobe2015]

I'm an in-house lawyer based in the UK and I'm looking for some information on maternity pay from fellow UK in-house lawyers.

My company does not have a policy on maternity pay and I am the first employee to go on maternity. I am fully aware of statutory pay and that anything above this is purely in my employer's discretion, however, I was wondering what other UK in-house lawyers are receiving. I've tried to research this online and consulted some salary benchmarking companies, but there doesn't seem to be much information out there on maternity pay. For info, I haven't discussed maternity pay with my employer yet.

I'd be ever so grateful if you could share what maternity pay/package you are receiving.

Many thanks in advance,

A very excited (and slightly nervous) mummy to be.

What you do is irrelevant. Most firms would have a policy that is applied across the firm and for all women no matter their role. Small companies without a policy are unlikely to offer much in the way of enhanced pay though I am afraid.

The norm is just SMP I Would say especially in smaller companies, however being the first to go on maternity gives you the opportunity to negotiate.

Enhanced terms are often offered as an incentive to go back as anything above the bare minimum is usually repayable to the firm if you leave.

If your in a good position within the firm I would be looking to negotiate with them and see what you can get!

Six months full pay here.

You don't need to ask other in-house lawyers, you need to ask about provision in similar-sized companies in whichever sector you're working in.