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With out-of-offices popping up across the inbox, we know that many in the profession are starting to take their well-earned breaks over the summer.
The science shows that taking time away from our working lives, to spend time with loved ones and enjoy hobbies, is good for our wellbeing as well as improving how we perform at work. Want to know more? Well, if you aren’t enticed to read The (now infamous) Salt Path, then here are eight recommendations for reading or listening to this summer on the topics of health, wellbeing and success.
Stressed? Relentless schedule? Barrister Bev Cripps has been through it all. She still practises crime, but has also trained in clinical hypnotherapy and coaching after several difficult life events led her to get her own coach. At 35 years’ call she published The Lazy Guide to Happy. In a recent article for this magazine, Bev wrote: ‘We don’t lack resilience at the Bar – we just misunderstand it. Real resilience isn’t about endurance. It’s about recovery, realignment and growth.’
Physical activity supports good wellbeing but want to know more about the science? Read Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health by leading expert Daniel Lieberman.
Need practical tools and strategies to help you prioritise wellbeing and mental health? Listen to Kerry Lawlor from The Workplace Collective in Episode 173 of The Hearing: A Legal Podcast. Or tune in to Episode 167 to hear Kent Halkett, of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, discuss increasing mental health awareness through continuous professional development.
Statistics show that people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds experience poor mental health treatment in comparison to their White counterparts. Dr Samara Linton and Rianna Walcott have pulled together more than 75 voices to share their experiences in The Colour of Madness.
Why do we feel stress? And how does it impact us long term? Dr Richard Mackenzie and journalist Peter Walker investigate the answers to these questions and more in Stress Tested.
Myrna McCallum, an Indigenous (Métis-Cree) lawyer practising in British Columbia, is passionate about trauma-informed practice. Listen to ‘Retreat, Regulate and Repair’, Season 3: Episode 1 of The Trauma-Informed Lawyer in which Myrna and coach Dr Amar Dhall discuss urgency culture, education and reflective practice.
What can we learn from the police who are facing traumatic events earlier in the legal pipeline? In The Policing Mind: Developing Trauma Resilience for a New Era, Dr Jess Miller, former Director of Research of Police Care UK, explores techniques to build trauma resilience.
From the battlefield to the boardroom: in ‘Simon Jeffries: The Natural Edge’ the former Special Forces soldier shares his journey from the Royal Marines to starting a coaching company and what this taught him about the importance of mindset, reflection and resilience. Hear his story on Episode 53 of Peter Bell’s Purpose Made Podcast.
Got a recommendation? Email your review to msalkeld@barcouncil.org.uk
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With out-of-offices popping up across the inbox, we know that many in the profession are starting to take their well-earned breaks over the summer.
The science shows that taking time away from our working lives, to spend time with loved ones and enjoy hobbies, is good for our wellbeing as well as improving how we perform at work. Want to know more? Well, if you aren’t enticed to read The (now infamous) Salt Path, then here are eight recommendations for reading or listening to this summer on the topics of health, wellbeing and success.
Stressed? Relentless schedule? Barrister Bev Cripps has been through it all. She still practises crime, but has also trained in clinical hypnotherapy and coaching after several difficult life events led her to get her own coach. At 35 years’ call she published The Lazy Guide to Happy. In a recent article for this magazine, Bev wrote: ‘We don’t lack resilience at the Bar – we just misunderstand it. Real resilience isn’t about endurance. It’s about recovery, realignment and growth.’
Physical activity supports good wellbeing but want to know more about the science? Read Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health by leading expert Daniel Lieberman.
Need practical tools and strategies to help you prioritise wellbeing and mental health? Listen to Kerry Lawlor from The Workplace Collective in Episode 173 of The Hearing: A Legal Podcast. Or tune in to Episode 167 to hear Kent Halkett, of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services, discuss increasing mental health awareness through continuous professional development.
Statistics show that people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds experience poor mental health treatment in comparison to their White counterparts. Dr Samara Linton and Rianna Walcott have pulled together more than 75 voices to share their experiences in The Colour of Madness.
Why do we feel stress? And how does it impact us long term? Dr Richard Mackenzie and journalist Peter Walker investigate the answers to these questions and more in Stress Tested.
Myrna McCallum, an Indigenous (Métis-Cree) lawyer practising in British Columbia, is passionate about trauma-informed practice. Listen to ‘Retreat, Regulate and Repair’, Season 3: Episode 1 of The Trauma-Informed Lawyer in which Myrna and coach Dr Amar Dhall discuss urgency culture, education and reflective practice.
What can we learn from the police who are facing traumatic events earlier in the legal pipeline? In The Policing Mind: Developing Trauma Resilience for a New Era, Dr Jess Miller, former Director of Research of Police Care UK, explores techniques to build trauma resilience.
From the battlefield to the boardroom: in ‘Simon Jeffries: The Natural Edge’ the former Special Forces soldier shares his journey from the Royal Marines to starting a coaching company and what this taught him about the importance of mindset, reflection and resilience. Hear his story on Episode 53 of Peter Bell’s Purpose Made Podcast.
Got a recommendation? Email your review to msalkeld@barcouncil.org.uk
Chair of the Bar reflects on 2025
Q&A with criminal barrister Nick Murphy, who moved to New Park Court Chambers on the North Eastern Circuit in search of a better work-life balance
Revolt Cycling in Holborn, London’s first sustainable fitness studio, invites barristers to join the revolution – turning pedal power into clean energy
Rachel Davenport, Co-founder and Director at AlphaBiolabs, reflects on how the company’s Giving Back ethos continues to make a difference to communities across the UK
By Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
AlphaBiolabs has made a £500 donation to Sean’s Place, a men’s mental health charity based in Sefton, as part of its ongoing Giving Back initiative
Little has changed since Burns v Burns . Cohabiting couples deserve better than to be left on the blasted heath with the existing witch’s brew for another four decades, argues Christopher Stirling
Six months of court observation at the Old Bailey: APPEAL’s Dr Nisha Waller and Tehreem Sultan report their findings on prosecution practices under joint enterprise
Despite its prevalence, autism spectrum disorder remains poorly understood in the criminal justice system. Does Alex Henry’s joint enterprise conviction expose the need to audit prisons? asks Dr Felicity Gerry KC
With automation now deeply embedded in the Department for Work Pensions, Alexander McColl and Alexa Thompson review what we know, what we don’t and avenues for legal challenge
Why were some Caribbean nations given such dramatically different constitutional frameworks when they gained independence from the UK? Dr Leonardo Raznovich examines the controversial savings clause
