Adam Carvalho

LawCare, the charity which supports mental health in the legal industry, has recently published a report on the wellbeing of legal professionals. The report provides a useful “snapshot” of the current situation and directions of travel.

In summary, the Covid-19 era has had an inevitable impact on wellbeing but has also had positive effects and demonstrated the possibility of change. Reflecting on their current experience, participants in the LawCare survey wanted (a) more training in non-black letter law areas, (b) more peer and team support and (c) the opportunity to “be heard”.

At the Carvalho Consultancy we have been busy providing counselling, coaching and training to professionals, many in private wealth areas. The findings of LawCare echo strongly the discussions we have been having. This article sets out five interesting findings from the survey and our thoughts on their implications from this perspective.

1) There is a growing recognition of the challenges of life in law. 

A high proportion of the participants on the survey experienced burnout symptoms, were worried about work-life balance and found it difficult to stay motivated, and some were concerned about job security and personal finances. 

In our experience, often people in law firms look around and think they see colleagues coping perfectly – and then feel that they are somehow missing a trick. However, there is increasing openness in the profession that in fact many lawyers will experience issues at points in their careers, and that working through such issues is a source of growth rather than a weakness.

2) There are significant benefits to the new normal. 

The participants on the survey pointed to greater flexibility, more time with family and a reduction in time spent squeezed into tube and train carriages. 

Participants said that finding time for self-care was challenging during busy or stressful times but generally more flexible working provided a greater opportunity to develop healthy lifestyles and habits. More broadly, as the report noted, the experience of evolving during the pandemic has had a profound effect and presents an opportunity to reconsider aspects of the ways we work.

There has certainly been a feeling among the lawyers we have been seeing that there is an opportunity after all the disruption to think about how they wish to live their working lives. This can take some initial effort but also provides a real opportunity.

3) It’s not all about the black letter law. 

A consistent theme in our sessions with clients is that the real challenge with the job is not the black letter law but the other elements – interpersonal issues, time management, confidence, dealing with others’ emotions and conflicting demands, and many others. 

The LawCare survey confirms that people find training in such areas very helpful – but with the caveat that such training needs to be (a) tailored to the realities of life in law in order to be effective and (b) integrated within the work of teams. Interestingly, almost 90 percent of partners wanted training on supervision. 

We have seen a number of partners considering how they can manage associates in a way they feel is in line with their own values and conducive to a happy and productive team.

4) We want real support.

Participants in the survey wanted to feel supported by their peers and their teams. 

This might include regular catch-ups and/or appraisal and peer support groups. Again, there is an important caveat. People want genuinely to be able to express themselves. 

As the LawCare report said, this might involve feeling able to raise ideas and questions, but it might also involve talking about more difficult issues such as anxieties and mistakes. The key question is how to structure support so that people (including quieter and less confident ones) feel able to raise issues which may be difficult, embarrassing or anxiety provoking. 

There is a growing body of academic thought as to how this can be done, and it will be interesting to see to what extent firms implement such thinking in the coming years.

5) Being heard. 

This leads on to the interesting line in the report which noted that “a recurring theme was also simply the desire to be ‘heard’ and listened to”. 

This has been a central theme in many sessions. 

Often people need time and space truly to be honest about issues, to work through insecurities, worries and challenges and to explore different perspectives, options and opportunities for development. This is also an area where counselling or coaching is often helpful – talking to an independent third party can enable people to work through issues fully. 

The individuals taking part in the survey said professional confidential support that could be accessed as and when needed was the most useful support they received (where this was applicable).

Conclusion

The Covid-19 era accelerated a great number of changes. 

It would have seemed incredible at the start of last year to think that we would be attending trials, giving complicated advice or even sending out bills without physically being in an office with lots of other people in suits, ties and high heels (not all together).

Similarly, the Covid-19 period has accelerated engagement around mental health and wellbeing. As the report says, “there are no quick fixes to legal wellbeing issues or off-the-shelf solutions that can be bought”. 

As we move towards the new normal, there is an opportunity to consider how lawyers can receive tailored training, get real support from within the firm, and feel that they are heard in order to ensure the success of lawyers and firms in this new landscape.