Mental wellbeing support for the legal community

Have you heard of LawCare? They are a mental wellbeing charity for the legal community, established almost 25 years ago. Their research shows that the accepted working practices and culture in the legal profession can be detrimental to mental wellbeing.

To mark World Mental Health Day on Monday 10 October, the 10^th day of the 10^th month, LawCare has launched a ‘Tell Ten’ campaign. They are encouraging people working in law to spread the word about the services they offer by emailing, texting or tagging 10 colleagues or friends on social media.

We take mental health seriously at AGR Law, so we want to tell you about LawCare and the good work they do in case you or someone you know may benefit from their help.

LawCare provides support services and information to help anyone in the UK working in law so they can better deal with issues in their personal and professional lives. They also work with organisations, such as regulators and professional bodies, to encourage healthy workplaces that support mental wellbeing, allowing legal professionals to thrive.

Their website is packed full of useful podcasts and articles covering all sorts of subjects, from dealing with stress and managing your relationship with alcohol, to loneliness at work and grief and loss.

If you need a safe space to talk about how you feel, they offer free, confidential support via email, online chat and a phone helpline. Trained staff and volunteers who have worked in law are available to help you. They can signpost you to other agencies, if required.

LawCare also runs a peer support scheme, offering one-to-one support. Peers are all experienced volunteers with lived experience who can offer help, encouragement and mentoring on a range of different issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, addiction and more.

If you want to join a specialist group to network and share experiences, their website includes an extensive list. Groups include women-only, minoritised groups, LGBTQ+, disabled and more.

Here are 10 reasons to contact LawCare:

LawCare’s services are free of charge
Staff and volunteers understand the challenges that life in law brings
They promise complete confidentiality. You don’t have to give your name and, if you fear someone you know has recognised your voice, you can leave your details and another team member will call you back
You can contact them about any issue at all, from a bad day at work to something more serious such as being investigated by a regulator
One-to-one peer support can be for weeks or months
Support is available to anyone working in law in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
They help everyone; support staff, solicitors, barristers, judges, chartered legal executives, chartered trademark attorneys, patent attorneys, costs lawyers and paralegals, including those studying and in training
They have helped over 10,000 legal professionals in almost 25 years
They may be able to provide funding for counselling or therapy
5% of service users would recommend LawCare to others

If you work in the legal profession and need support, you can contact LawCare on 0800 279 6888, email support@lawcare.org.uk or head to their website for the online chat and other resources.

If you’re struggling with mental health and need help, the below may be useful too:

PAPYRUS Hopeline – For anyone under the age of 35 who is experiencing thoughts of suicide

Website – https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Call – 0800 068 4141 (9am-midnight every day)

Text – 07860 039 967

Email – pat@papyrus-uk.org

Mind – advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem

Website – https://www.mind.org.uk/

Infoline – 0300 123 3393 (9am-6pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays)

Email – info@mind.org.uk

Calm – Campaign Against Living Miserably

Website – https://www.thecalmzone.net/ (includes livechat 5pm-midnight every day)