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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
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
For one night only at Middle Temple Hall (Sunday 26 July 2026) – Abigail Bright introduces the famed annual fundraising theatrical event. This year, Martin Shaw and Jason Watkins perform John Mortimer’s The Dock Brief, a mixture of farce and pathos and all in support of the work of the Kalisher Trust in its 30th year
