Profession must treat good mental health and wellbeing as priority

Over the last few months, I have been reflecting on mental health and wellbeing in the profession. 

The profession is adjusting to a post-pandemic world, with many dealing with heavy workloads and a work culture that stigmatises being open and honest about mental health.

LawCare recently reported it had seen a 24% increase in the number of legal professionals contacting them for support from January to August 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

The mental health charity for the legal sector also reported a 95% increase in the number of people saying workplace bullying, harassment or discrimination was their primary reason for seeking support.

Sadly, these types of statistics are not new, but the profession’s approach to mental health and wellbeing must keep on improving.

Organisations need to prioritise wellbeing and create and maintain healthy workplaces to avoid issues such as burnout, stress and exhaustion.

The Law Society has a Mental Health Hub which provides remote working guidance to help the profession take responsibility for our mental health and wellbeing. We also have guidance on supporting wellbeing in the workplace.

In today’s climate with a global financial crisis, a technical recession and increasing day-to-day pressures both professionally and personally, we all have stresses which could mean we experience mental ill-health.

My hope is that everyone in the profession feels fully supported at work and that every firm and employer is alert to and supportive of their partners and employees’ mental health.

The onus is often on the individual to ‘fix’ their mental ill-health. We should be focusing on preventing issues from arising in the first place and treating good mental health as a business priority.

If you or a colleague need support, I urge you to reach out and make use of the support that is available.

LawCare has been providing free, confidential emotional support and peer support for people working in the legal sector in the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than 25 years. We are proud to be an independent funder and principal founder of LawCare.

They have a helpline, support email and online chat which is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. They can also signpost to other support agencies.

Mental Health Awareness Week is only one week, but we as a profession must look to the ways we can support one another every day of the year.

Nick Emmerson is president of the Law Society of England and Wales