Life in the Law why we need to come together to improve wellbeing in the law

This month we released the findings of our research study Life in the Law. This 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 Isle of Man took part.

The study questioned legal professionals on a range of areas, including work intensity (workload and working hours), and used three recognised scales for burnout (disengagement and exhaustion), autonomy (ability to control what, where, how, and with whom, work is done) and psychological safety (ability to speak up with ideas and questions, and raise concerns or admit mistakes).

The research confirmed to us some of the issues we hear about at LawCare every day. Legal professionals across the board scored high on the scale for burnout. 69% had experienced mental ill-health including stress, anxiety, and depression in the 12 months before completing the survey.

Of those experiencing mental ill-health, only 56.5% had talked about it at work – the most common reason for this was fear of stigma. Certain groups in the profession such as younger professionals, women, those from ethnic minority groups, and those with a disability present a greater risk of burnout. Many legal professionals are working long hours, not getting enough sleep, and 1 in 5 said they were bullied, harassed, or discriminated in the 12-month period before completing the survey.

However, we didn’t only want to focus on the negative. Our aim behind Life in the Law was to look at what has a positive effect on wellbeing also, and what the profession can do as a whole to really make a difference to work-life balance in the sector. We found that as the number of hours sleep increases the rate of burnout drops. We discovered that of a wide range of workplace measures available, from private health insurance to mental health training, regular catch-ups or appraisals were reported to be the most helpful. Having these in place helped to bolster confidence in personal development and reduce anxiety. We also asked people about their experiences working through the pandemic and whilst there have been of course many negatives such as social isolation, blurring of boundaries between life and work, and increased workloads, for some there were many positives such as greater flexibility and more agile working, and a chance to spend more time with close family and really think about what we want in life.

What next?

It is clear from this research that we need to work together to make the law a healthier, happier place to work. Participants in the study agreed that wellbeing in the profession is a collective responsibility and we all have a part to play – whether at an individual level in looking after ourselves, drawing boundaries, and treating our colleagues with respect or, at a more senior level, in setting out the values and culture of the organisation and having systems in place to make sure these are followed. Regulators, professional bodies, and legal educators also have their part to play in making law a profession that values its people first. This is important not just for individuals and workplaces but for the future sustainability of the profession as a whole.

Here are the key areas we believe the profession needs to focus on:

• Challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and wellbeing;

• Change the organisational culture of law, acknowledging the important role which those in management and leadership must play in bringing about meaningful change;

• Promote the importance of management training to provide the skills required to support individuals alongside regular catch-ups and appraisals; • Identify and engage key stakeholders in the conversation about wellbeing, acknowledging that wellbeing is a collective responsibility which will require work to be done collectively across professional and regulatory silos whilst recognising differences across areas of legal practice;

• Share insights, educate, and raise awareness about wellbeing across the legal community;

• Consider the intersectional nature of wellbeing within the context of multiple factors such as gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation.

This research is the start of what we hope will be a long-lasting movement in the law, to take a proper look at our working practices, the culture of workplaces, the way we treat each other, the values we embody. Law’s greatest asset is the minds working within it, and we must protect those minds at all costs. We urge you to join us in making this happen.

View the full report at: www.lawcare.org.uk/lifeinthelaw

LawCare is an independent charity offering emotional support, information and training to the legal community in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

You can contact them for free, confidential, emotional support on: 0800 279 6888,

email support@lawcare.org.uk

or visit www.lawcare.org.uk to access webchat and other information and resources.