The importance of empathy for lawyers
I remember when I first went into law being asked “which area do you want to specialise in?” My response was swift given it was a second career after teaching in inner-city London. I would always reply, “I don’t want to do law with a human face.” I knew what I meant by that, no … Continue reading The importance of empathy for lawyers
Life in the law: why we need to come together to improve wellbeing in the legal profession
Last year we released the findings of our research study, Life in the Law. The research, the first of its kind in this country, looked at mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession, and over 1,700 professionals from the UK, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man took part. The study … Continue reading Life in the law: why we need to come together to improve wellbeing in the legal profession
Avoiding burn out in the legal profession
Legal professionals who contact LawCare often say that they are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Living, working and, for some, home-schooling through the COVID-19 pandemic has left many with stress at unmanageable levels, and with few reserves to draw on to deal with it. Many lawyers are working longer hours than ever before and finding it … Continue reading Avoiding burn out in the legal profession
The culture and practice of law
Life in the law can be fantastic; many individuals thrive in this fast-paced, high-pressure industry and are very successful and happy. However, that is the not the case for everyone. Lawyers and support staff regularly contact LawCare to talk about feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious and burnt out. We hear about long hours, demanding bosses, incivility … Continue reading The culture and practice of law
Why we need kindness in the law
The last few months have been difficult, but they have often brought out the best in us: thousands of people signing up to be GoodSAM NHS volunteers, neighbours offering to do each other’s shopping, Captain Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts and the weekly #clapforcarers have shown just how much kindness matters in a crisis. Positive connections … Continue reading Why we need kindness in the law
Are you Fit for Law?
We all know that to be a lawyer you need to be intelligent and competent. As a lawyer your most important asset is your brain and legal training has always focused on the ability to think, reason and analyse. However, these are not the only skills you need in the legal workplace. To be a … Continue reading Are you Fit for Law?
Start a conversation on World Mental Health Day
Social and emotional support and the role of individuals, families and communities in providing this are vital to managing wellbeing. We all need someone to talk to about personal matters without judgement and in confidence, and to listen to us and offer help when we need it. When we are in a difficult situation we … Continue reading Start a conversation on World Mental Health Day
How to create a mentally healthy legal workplace
At LawCare, the charity offering emotional support to legal professionals, we have listened to thousands of people tell us about the stress, anxiety and depression that they are experiencing, which is often caused or exacerbated by a difficult working environment. Lack of support or supervision, an overly critical manager, being undermined after a career break, … Continue reading How to create a mentally healthy legal workplace
Combating bullying in the legal workplace
At LawCare we often receive calls to our helpline from lawyers who are being bullied at work. Calls about bullying and harassment nearly doubled last year. This is not to say that more bullying is taking place, it’s more likely that there is greater awareness about unacceptable workplace behaviour.
The wellbeing of future lawyers
Today is World Mental Health Day, which this year focuses on young people, giving us an opportunity to look at how young people fare in the legal profession. At LawCare we believe you start “thinking like a lawyer” on the first day of your legal studies. Law is by nature competitive and adversarial, and the … Continue reading The wellbeing of future lawyers
Practical tips for wellbeing at work
Life in the law can be tough. At LawCare, the mental health charity for lawyers, we receive hundreds of calls every year from lawyers who are feeling stressed and struggling with the pressures of work. In our experience, many lawyers are not great at self-care. Although they know they should look after themselves (for example, by … Continue reading Practical tips for wellbeing at work
