High stress, high performance?
MENTAL WELLBEING IN THE LEGAL SECTOR
The legal profession has a reputation for being one of the most demanding. Tight deadlines, exposure to extreme events and hierarchical cultures combine to offer many legal professionals little leeway over their work. Ruth Holmes investigates whether an evolution in workplace culture and enhanced career pathing would help?
G
uests and panellists participating in the MAD World Legal Industry Summit
Synergy Hub – part of the MAD World Festival in London on 17 October after World Mental Health Day – discussed how they can accelerate the shift from stigma to solutions around mental wellbeing for every employer. The one-day event and its four streams – Legal, Construction, Leadership and DEI – offered insights that leaders can turn into action in the legal profession. As delegates heard, the case for
more employer action to support mental wellness in the legal industry is clear. A 2021 report from the International Bar Association (IBA), ‘Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession: A global study’, showed the average level of wellbeing reported by lawyers participating is below that at which the World Health Organisation would recommend psychiatric assessment.
Recent UK surveys further
show 71% of 3,000 lawyers studied reported having anxiety and that calls to the emotional support helpline LawCare have increased by a quarter. The IBA’s survey noted three-quarters of practices and firms have initiatives already in place. The figure compares well to
those CIPD CEO Peter Cheese referred to in an earlier debate in the MAD World Leadership Summit about balancing individual and institutional
responsibilities
around mental wellbeing, where about 50% of UK employers have a wellbeing strategy.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY There to share their approaches and thinking on the issues in this fast-evolving arena so others can turn action into insight were representatives from employers including Capsticks Solicitors LLP, Simmons & Simmons LLP, Citi,
Osborne Clarke, DLA Piper LLP and Pinsent Masons. The panel on creating
psychological safety across the legal profession saw Sharon Blackman OBE of Citi, Annmarie Carvalho of TCC, Jude Cragg of Capsticks LLP and Paul Davison of PPWD join moderator Richard Martin, CEO of MAD World summit supporter, The Mindful Business Charter. They started out discussing how
to define psychological safety and the risks when people feel unable or unsafe to speak out. The issue is highly relevant to all sectors, particularly the legal sector and those others that are highly regulated. Significant pressure from long,
unpredictable and unsociable hours, exposure to extremely challenging and high-stakes scenarios, not to mention the overarching competitive ethos, characterise the role and working life of a lawyer. Creating a culture of
psychological safety in teams and organisations is therefore necessary
75
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
XXXXXX
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108
