Following Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, we look at how mental health and wellness in the legal industry continues to develop, fueled by the post-pandemic landscape, a candidate-driven market, and a momentum for change. of the SRA and the industry in general.
The following is an excerpt from the podcast, recorded May 11, 2022, on Mental Health and Wellness in Law, featuring sian rileyformer attorney and wellness champion at Access Legal, and Leah Steelealso a former attorney, founder of Searching for Serenity, and a mentor and coach specializing in burnout and resilience.
You can listen to the podcast recording on the following platforms:
Why is there a greater focus on mental health in the legal industry?
Mental health and wellness have rightly been a strong focus for the legal industry, and society at large, for the last 18 months or so. Why has this cultural change occurred?
The environment we have found ourselves in over the last 18 to 24 months is unprecedented. Remote work, social distancing and breaking with traditional work practices have put employee well-being in the spotlight. This attention has focused on law firms in particular, in part because an understanding has developed that their products are not wills, transfers, or litigation services, but rather the people who provide those services. It is almost a shame that it took a pandemic to start this cultural shift towards a more people-centric mindset and there is still a long way to go.
The pandemic has sharpened the focus on our own mental health and the growing need to feel connected. Working from home has blurred the lines, especially when we think of working in law, where clients often do a “distressed purchase,” meaning the job itself comes with a host of stressors. Bringing them into people’s homes means there is a real need for boundaries and more open conversations about wellness and balance.
Do you think that doing it well could have an impact on attracting and retaining talent, which is another challenge in the sector?
Recruiting and retaining talent is a big problem for the vast majority of legal service providers. A market led by candidates, particularly millennials among them, is driving a focus on mental health and wellness and an emphasis on work-life balance. Potential recruits look beyond a company’s technical expertise (in many ways this is simply a given) to find a culture that aligns with their own values and ethos.
It used to be that working in law meant that a lot of the avenues (working flexibly, remotely, etc.) weren’t available as an option; now they have become a normal part of the conversation as companies realize that a focus on customer service does not mean that fee earners have to be in an office from nine to five.
What is the SRA doing to support mental health and wellness in the legal sector?
The SRA has produced a guidance note on wellbeing within law firms, with the consultation process still ongoing (May 2022). Although the scope of this guidance and its practical implications are not yet known, it is certainly a step towards a more proactive approach to wellness and the SRA is becoming a force for change.
Over the past 10 years, there have been a growing number of high-profile cases, including junior attorneys who were fired for dishonesty and, more recently, a managing partner who filed a disability claim due to chronic burnout. As a result, the SRA is now responding: A recent SRA webinar promotes an “active bystander” culture, in which people are empowered to speak up and challenge bullying or inappropriate behavior. It remains to be seen how this will work in practice, but the intentions are positive.
Finally, what would you give listeners in terms of ideas they might want to incorporate to improve their own mental health and/or the mental health of those around them?
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week was loneliness, and this can affect anyone at any time. We need to work on building meaningful social connections that can support us both in our work and in our personal lives: people are fallible, and more importantly, people need people.
To engender a feeling of psychological security we need to be honest. The more open we are about how we feel and our struggles, the safer our teams will feel to have those open conversations.
You may also be interested in:
Our article on “Mental health and wellness in law firms: the story behind the new policy” covers a little more background behind the upcoming policy.
Check out our dedicated e-learning course “Mental Health for Lawyers” which you can find inside our e-learning brochure.
Toby Sewell, Division Marketing Manager, Access Legal
This article was submitted for publication by Access Legal as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the sender and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
