Changing the mindset of the global legal profession is among the ambitions of a permanent body dedicated to improving lawyers' wellbeing announced by the International Bar Association today. 

The Professional Wellbeing Commission initiative represents the IBA’s commitment to prioritising the welfare of its members, as well as that of the wider legal community, the association said. Its key objectives include:

  • promoting the importance of wellbeing as a core issue and priority for the global legal community;
  • identifying, coordinating, and organising various global stakeholders in changing or modifying the culture and mindset of the legal profession;
  • raising awareness of the challenges and stigma surrounding discussions of wellbeing, while keeping in mind the cultural differences needed when engaging with this issue;
  • highlighting the ways in which wellbeing issues, needs, and responses vary between different demographic groups;
  • promoting and sharing policies and working practices that help to promote positive and sustainable wellbeing within the legal profession; and
  • making recommendations to change or modify the practical and regulatory environment of the legal profession at all levels, where possible.

The commission said it aims to achieve these objectives through a planned course of activity, particularly by bringing together representatives of organisations from different jurisdictions, sections of the IBA, and outside experts with an interest in advancing wellbeing in the global legal community.

The initiative originated in a presidential taskforce which in 2021 reported that wellbeing challenges faced by lawyers are similar across jurisdictions and that stigma is a major problem making it very difficult for practitioners and students to acknowledge they may have problems.

Members of the commission include Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of Lawcare, England. Co-chairs Steven Richman and Deborah Enix-Ross said: 'The wellbeing challenges faced by the profession seem to be growing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital that any response to this crisis is coordinated at a global level, and so we look forward to working with our commissioners, and dedicated IBA staff, to make a difference to lawyers and other legal professionals wherever they may be in the world.'