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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.
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how tailored financial planning can help barristers take control of their finances and plan with confidence
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
In this wide-ranging interview, Professor Jo Delahunty KC, Family Law KC of the Year, talks to Anthony Inglese CB about the values that shaped her, the moment she found her vocation and, in an intensely personal call to arms, why time is running out for the legal aid Bar
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Thomas Roe KC and Andrew O’Kola respond to an article by Dr Leonardo Raznovich (Counsel , October 2025) – ‘Privy Council colonialism? Piercing the constitutional veil’
Chair of the Bar reports back
The client’s best interests could be well-served by sharing the advocacy with junior counsel more often than you might think – Naomi Cunningham and Charlotte Eves explore some less orthodox ways to divide the speaking role
