*/
The Bar Council and Law Society are among 15 partners pledged to support a cross-profession taskforce to promote mental health and wellbeing.
The intiative has been driven by charity LawCare, which released figures showing that it received calls from almost 500 lawyers in 2015. The most common issues were stress (30%), depression (20%) and disciplinary issues (12%).
The statistics came a year after the Wellbeing at the Bar report revealed high levels of stress, with one in eight barristers being emotionally exhausted and half unable to sleep properly.
Since its publication, the Bar has made major steps to support barristers’ wellbeing, with the creation of the Wellbeing Working Group, and initiatives from the Specialist Bar Associations, Circuits, and the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks.
The Bar Council and Inns of Court have started work on an online web portal to support wellbeing, which is expected to launch this summer.
Individual chambers have set up wellbeing committees and policies, and Middle Temple launched mindfulness drop-in sessions.
Speaking ahead of last months’ Mental Health Awareness Week, Bar Chairman Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC said the ‘landscape has changed’ and wellbeing is now ‘high on the agenda’ at the Bar.
She said that ‘building a suite of wellbeing support’ for the Bar is a ‘work in progress’ that would never be ‘done and dusted’ but which she expected to continue.
The Bar Council and Law Society are among 15 partners pledged to support a cross-profession taskforce to promote mental health and wellbeing.
The intiative has been driven by charity LawCare, which released figures showing that it received calls from almost 500 lawyers in 2015. The most common issues were stress (30%), depression (20%) and disciplinary issues (12%).
The statistics came a year after the Wellbeing at the Bar report revealed high levels of stress, with one in eight barristers being emotionally exhausted and half unable to sleep properly.
Since its publication, the Bar has made major steps to support barristers’ wellbeing, with the creation of the Wellbeing Working Group, and initiatives from the Specialist Bar Associations, Circuits, and the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks.
The Bar Council and Inns of Court have started work on an online web portal to support wellbeing, which is expected to launch this summer.
Individual chambers have set up wellbeing committees and policies, and Middle Temple launched mindfulness drop-in sessions.
Speaking ahead of last months’ Mental Health Awareness Week, Bar Chairman Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC said the ‘landscape has changed’ and wellbeing is now ‘high on the agenda’ at the Bar.
She said that ‘building a suite of wellbeing support’ for the Bar is a ‘work in progress’ that would never be ‘done and dusted’ but which she expected to continue.
The Chair of the Bar sets out how the new government can restore the justice system
In the first of a new series, Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth considers the fundamental need for financial protection
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Possibly, but many barristers are glad he did…
Mental health charity Mind BWW has received a £500 donation from drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory, AlphaBiolabs as part of its Giving Back campaign
The Institute of Neurotechnology & Law is thrilled to announce its inaugural essay competition
How to navigate open source evidence in an era of deepfakes. By Professor Yvonne McDermott Rees and Professor Alexa Koenig
Brie Stevens-Hoare KC and Lyndsey de Mestre KC take a look at the difficulties women encounter during the menopause, and offer some practical tips for individuals and chambers to make things easier
Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice since January 2021, is well known for his passion for access to justice and all things digital. Perhaps less widely known is the driven personality and wanderlust that lies behind this, as Anthony Inglese CB discovers
The Chair of the Bar sets out how the new government can restore the justice system
No-one should have to live in sub-standard accommodation, says Antony Hodari Solicitors. We are tackling the problem of bad housing with a two-pronged approach and act on behalf of tenants in both the civil and criminal courts