Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How One Law Firm Created a Maternity Return-to-Work Coaching Program
Transcript
- Lucas: Most companies do a decent job of the leave itself — eight weeks, twelve weeks, whatever their policy is. But the moment the employee comes back? That's where the drop-off happens. Luna: Yeah, that transition back is brutal for a lot of people. You're sleep-deprived, your brain feels different, and suddenly you're supposed to be performing at your old level. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what one law firm decided to fix. Hogan Lovells — a global firm with about 1,400 lawyers — launched a maternity return to work coaching program a few years ago. And the numbers are striking enough that I think other industries should pay attention. Luna: Okay, what did they actually do? Was it just a couple of check-in calls? Lucas: No, it was much more structured. They partnered with an external executive coaching firm to assign every returning attorney a dedicated coach — someone outside the firm, so there's no internal politics. Each attorney gets ten coaching sessions over six months, starting right before they come back and continuing through that first half-year. Luna: And the coach focuses on what, specifically? Lucas: Three main areas: rebuilding professional confidence, managing the logistics of being a working parent, and — this is key — strategic visibility. Because a lot of women come back and feel like they've been taken off the important projects. The coach helps them proactively re-engage with partners and find the high-impact work. Luna: That makes sense. The confidence piece is huge — I've heard lawyers say they felt like impostors after leave, even if they were top performers before. Lucas: Right. And the results bear that out. Hogan Lovells reported that over 95 percent of participants stayed with the firm at least two years after returning. Compare that to industry averages, where something like 30 to 40 percent of women leave law within three years of having a child. Luna: That's a massive gap. And it's not just retention — I imagine it also helps with promotion rates. Lucas: Exactly. The firm tracked that too. Women who went through the coaching program were promoted to partner at rates comparable to their peers who didn't take leave. That's the real win — you're not just keeping bodies in seats, you're keeping people on the partnership track. Luna: So what does the program actually cost? Because I can hear a lot of managers thinking, 'That sounds great, but we don't have big law firm budgets.' Lucas: Fair question. Hogan Lovells doesn't publish the exact figure, but individual executive coaching typically runs somewhere between $300 and $800 per hour. Ten sessions — at, say, an hour each — is maybe $5,000 to $8,000 per attorney. When you consider that replacing a mid-level associate can cost $200,000 or more in recruiting and training, it's a pretty clear ROI. Luna: And it doesn't have to be one-to-one executive coaching for everyone. Maybe a group coaching model or internal mentors could bring the cost down for smaller firms. Lucas: Absolutely. And Hogan Lovells actually started with a pilot of just 20 attorneys. They learned from it, then expanded. So any company could start small. Luna: I'm curious — did they extend this to dads or adoptive parents? Lucas: They did, actually. After the initial success, they opened it to all parents taking primary caregiver leave — including adoptive parents and same-sex couples. The coaching is tailored, but the structure is the same. Luna: That's smart. Because the transition back isn't just a 'mom problem.' Any new parent can struggle with the shift in identity and focus. Lucas: Right. And one more thing that stood out to me: the program doesn't just hand you a coach and say good luck. There's a framework. The coach helps the attorney create a 'return to work plan' before they even come back — things like scheduling, delegation, and how to communicate boundaries with clients. Luna: So you're essentially planning for success before you're in the thick of it. That feels very different from the usual 'welcome back, here's your inbox.' Lucas: Exactly. And that's the part I think gets overlooked. Companies spend so much time on the leave policy — weeks of paid time off, whether it's inclusive — but the actual return is where the culture either supports you or fails you. Luna: Yeah, and we've talked before on this show about how retention isn't just about the policy on paper. It's about the day-to-day experience. Lucas: Speaking of that — we keep this show ad-free because we think that kind of honest, practical conversation matters more than selling you something. And if that approach resonates with you, there's a simple way to support it: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just an option if you want to help keep these episodes free for everyone. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. Every little bit helps us keep digging into programs like this one. Lucas: So back to Hogan Lovells — one challenge they encountered was manager buy-in. Some partners were skeptical that ten coaching sessions would make a difference. Luna: How did they overcome that? Lucas: They used data. After the pilot, they shared retention numbers and promotion rates with the whole partnership. Once partners saw that participants were billing at similar levels and staying on track, the skepticism faded. Now it's seen as a competitive advantage for recruiting. Luna: That's a great example of using internal evidence to build a business case. It's not just about being nice — it's about retaining top talent. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the lesson for any company listening. If you want to keep working parents — especially mothers — you need to invest in the transition back. Coaching, even a few sessions, can make the difference between losing someone and having them become a partner. Luna: Well, and it's a relatively low-cost intervention with a high return. That's the kind of thing we love to highlight on this show. Lucas: All right, that's our deep dive for today. Next episode we're looking at how a tech company redesigned its performance reviews to reduce bias — and it's not what you'd expect. Luna: Looking forward to it. Thanks for listening, everyone.