LawCare – Weʼre here to listen

Wellbeing

LawCare – Weʼre here to listen

The charity LawCare was founded over twenty years ago to address issues from pressure of work or study to financial problems, coping with illness, depression and many other problems. The need is more than ever with the pandemic experience we all share. Elizabeth Rimmer, Chief Executive, discusses the challenges to the legal profession and what LawCare can do to help.

Lawyers in COVID

At LawCare, the legal mental health charity, we have been contacted by many legal professionals who are feeling burnt out, struggling to cope with the workload and the demands upon them. We hear from those on furlough who are anxious about their future, from lawyers whose relationships or finances are under great strain and from parents who have found the mental load of home-schooling and working impossible. Since March 2020, around 34% of all contact to our support service have had a COVID element with the top issues being a deterioration of of existing mental health issues, not being permitted to work from home, struggling to adapt to working at home, feeling isolated and being overloaded with work.

The legal profession and wellbeing

Life in the law is challenging at the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. While it can be a fantastically rewarding career, most would agree that there is a heavy workload and a great deal of pressure. Law is traditionally very hierarchical and male dominated at the top and it can be difficult to talk about how you are feeling for fear of showing weakness or being disadvantaged in some way. Bullying and harassment is common. Law by its nature is adversarial and reactive, there is a lot of negative emotion in the law and you are often required to look for the worst case scenario which means your brain become used to overthinking and defaults to pessimism. Often the type of work can be traumatic. You are dealing with people at crisis points in their lives particularly in family law or asylum cases. Managing client expectations can be tough, alongside an attitude of doing whatever it takes to get the job done regardless of personal wellbeing.

The legal personality

In addition to the challenges presented by the pandemic and the culture of law, the type of person who goes into the law often has traits which can hamper wellbeing. They usually have high expectations of themselves and what they want to achieve in life and are often perfectionists. This means they find it hard to say “no” to people and any bump in the road is hard for them to manage. They find it hard to ask for help, believing they should be self-sufficient.

Recognising poor mental health

We all have mental health and at different points in our lives we are likely to have good and poor mental health. Sometimes it can be hard to tell there is a problem. Stress tends to build slowly and you may have got so used to working at a certain pace or feeling a certain way that you do not realise you need help. Some lawyers are existing in a near constant state of chronic stress, which can lead to burn out.

Here are some things to watch out for:

■ Irritability

■ Lethargy, sleep problems

■ Panic attacks

■ Nausea

■ Aches and pains

■ Poor concentration, memory and motivation

■ Withdrawal – cancelling plans, loss of interest

■ Deterioration in relationships

■ Feeling overwhelmed

■ Inability to switch off

How LawCare can help

If you are struggling then the most important thing is to talk about how you are feeling – you will be surprised how much better you will feel from just offloading. When we are in a difficult situation we lose our problem-solving abilities, it can be impossible to focus and it can seem overwhelming to choose what action to take. Sometimes a listening ear and a nudge in the right direction is all we need to move on.

Our support service

At LawCare we offer a free and confidential emotional support service, a safe place to talk without judgement, with calls, online chats and emails answered by trained staff and volunteers who have first-hand experience of working in the law. We understand life in the law and all its challenges. This is what makes our support service unique- you will be talking to one of your peers in the profession. Our team are not counsellors and they cannot provide people with solutions to their problems but they have been specifically selected and trained in listening skills and are empathetic and no--judgemental. Most legal professionals find that one or two conversations with our support service are enough to help them move forward and have clarity about what to do next. We will often signpost callers to various organisations who can help with particular issues, assist with accessing further support or suggest next steps such as how to broach a conversation with your manager for example.

Our peer support network

For those who have are struggling with a particular, ongoing issue we also have a network of 100 trained volunteer peer supporters who offer emotional support by telephone over a period of weeks or months. Our supporters all have first-hand experience of legal education, training and practice and lived experience of a difficult time in their personal or professional life and so are well placedto help other legal professionals. Our peer supporters reflect the diversity of the legal profession across the UK and are drawn from all branches of the legal profession and at all career stages. They are from different age groups, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.

One of our peer supporters, Claire, told us” “One of the real privileges of this is being able to say that I have stood where they have stood and understand what they are thinking, and have felt the anxieties they are feeling. When you’ve had a critical illness, just going to work presents you with a whole new set of issues you’ve never experienced before and it can be an exceptionally bumpy ride, often feeling like you are taking one step forward and two steps back. It is truly amazing for me to walk that journey with another person, knowing that I have also taken those steps, but also to walk with them for a time, to a place when the rollercoaster is less bumpy.”

What LawCare can help with The most common issues we help with are:

■ Anxiety

■ Stress

■ Depression

■ Addiction

■ Bereavement

■ Relationship problems at work

■ Returning to work after illness or a career break

■ Worrying if law is the right career for you

■ Facing disciplinary proceedings either by your regulator or employer

■ Covid related concerns such as feeling isolated, struggling with working from home, supervision, fears about returning to work

Who LawCare helps

We support everyone working in the legal profession in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man including solicitors, barristers, judges, Chartered Legal Executives, paralegals, trademark attorneys, patent attorneys, costs lawyers, notaries, licensed conveyancers, support staff and concerned family members. Our support spans the legal life from student to training to practice and retirement.

The LawCare helpline is 0800 279 6888 (Monday to Friday 9-5.30pm) or you can email us at support@lawcare.org. uk.You can also find information and resources, and access our online chat on our website www.lawcare.org.uk. LawCare also offers training remotely and in person for legal workplaces and organisations on mental health and wellbeing.

We also have a free course on managing and understanding emotions and stress and developing healthy working practices which you can access at fitforlaw.org.uk. ■

Elizabeth Rimmer

Elizabeth Rimmer

Chief Executive LawCare