The Legal Professions Wellbeing Taskforce has united fifteen legal industry organisations in the fight for better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for lawyers and other legal staffers. The Law Society, the Bar Council and the Solicitors Regulation Authority have all pledged membership to the coalition, as well global firm Linklaters and support organisation LawCare.

Developing best practice

The purpose of the new taskforce will be to identify areas in which collaboration on mental health issues will be beneficial and to establish mechanisms for knowledge sharing between organisations and the development of mental health ‘best practice’ guidelines. The LPWT will also tackle the enduring stigma around mental health challenges within the legal industry, with the aim of making it easier for affected individuals to seek support. A recent survey by Lawyer 2B found that 55 per cent of law firms lack any initiatives to tackle workplace stress, while only 17 per cent of lawyers are aware of initiatives in the own firm. ‘It is vital for legal professionals that there is greater awareness of the importance of mental health and greater openness to enable conversations about the issue,’ commented Law Society president John Smithers.

Industry in crisis

A host of recent research reports have confirmed the common wisdom that lawyers are particularly vulnerable to stress and other associated mental health issues. A recent Law Society survey found that a staggering 95 per cent of lawyers reported negative stress in their work lives while 16 per cent ranked their experiences of stress as ‘severe’ or ‘extreme’. Another study from the University of Queensland published earlier this year found that lawyers were more likely than any other professional group to suffer from poor psychological and psychosomatic wellbeing, and twice as likely as other professionals to suffer from substance abuse issues.

Sources: The Lawyer; Law Society Gazette