CHARITY TARGETS LAW FIRMS AND CHAMBERS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Mental health charity LawCare has reached out to the country’s leading law firms and chambers ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (14-20 May). The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is‘Stress: Is Modern Life the Problem’

LawCare runs a 365 day a year confidential helpline, as well as a peer support programme for all branches of the legal profession. The charity has distributed new leaflets, posters and digital collateral to 50 firms, chambers and professional bodies in a bid to reach more lawyers during the week. Those sharing information about the charity include Linklaters, Taylor Wessing, DLA Piper, Allen & Overy, Hogan Lovells, Clifford Chance, Ashurst, Legal Network Wales, Burness Paul LLP, Wilberforce Chambers, Pump Court Chambers and many more.

Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO of LawCare said: “Life in the law can be challenging and sometimes things can get on top of you. This Mental Health Awareness Week we are asking ‘How are you, really?’ We want to help as many people as we can in the legal profession who are feeling stressed or depressed or have any other issue. Our helpline is staffed by trained staff and volunteers who have first-hand experience of working in the law. We’ve been supporting lawyers for 20 years and we’re here to listen without judgment. We are very grateful to all the law firms and chambers who have supported our campaign and agreed to distribute information about LawCare and would like to encourage others to get in touch with us if they would like to get involved.”

The Legal Wellbeing Taskforce, of which LawCare is a founder member, has also organised a round table discussion on Thursday 10 May at the University of Law entitled ‘Emotional Competency in the Legal Profession: an educational perspective’.

Rimmer said: “The purpose of the discussion is to look at how we can embed mental wellbeing right into the heart of the law profession and we feel regulation could play a part in this. We’re looking forward to some interesting discussion around the issue.”

The helpline number is 0800 279 6888 Mon-Fri 9am – 7.30pm, weekends & bank holidays 10am – 4pm. There is also information, resources and factsheets at www.lawcare.org.uk