Law firms invest a decade or more in developing their senior talent. Then many of those people reduce hours, step back from responsibility or even leave their firm at pivotal life moments like having a baby or going through menopause.

Menopause, fertility treatment, prenatal support, postnatal support, and most gynaecological conditions sit almost entirely outside of standard PMI. So law firms pay a rising premium for cover that doesn't touch the most significant issues most likely to affect their senior women.

From spring 2027, firms with 250 or more employees must publish an equality action plan alongside their gender pay gap data, setting out what they are doing on the pay gap and how they are supporting employees through menopause. The two sit on the same page, on the same government service, and the connection between them will be obvious to anyone reading.

Join our Friends of Fertifa breakfast for HR and people leaders in the legal sector to discuss the healthcare gaps in PMI, why they cost firms their most experienced women, and what a defensible equality action plan looks like before 2027. We'll be joined by leading law firms sharing their insights.

• When: Thursday 1st October | 08:30 – 11:00
• Where: The Ivy Tower Bridge

What we'll cover:

• The PMI gaps law firms can't afford to ignore. Premiums are climbing and cover is narrowing, which makes it harder to justify paying more for a policy that excludes menopause, fertility and much of women's health. We'll look at where the money is actually going and where it isn't.
• Menopause and the gender pay gap as one problem, not two. What the equality action plan requirement means in practice, what counts as evidence rather than intent, and how to build a plan you can defend when it's published next to your pay gap figures.
• A first look at findings from Fertifa Data Labs. We're surveying around 1,000 legal professionals on the healthcare gaps in their PMI, how they affect productivity and engagement, and whether they are moving to competitors with more comprehensive benefits. Attendees will see the findings before anyone else.

This Friends of Fertifa breakfast is an intimate session for HR thought-leaders in the legal sector. It's a chance to compare notes with peers facing the same challenges and to share best practice.

Spaces are limited.