Legal mental health charity launches free resource to help lawyers look after their wellbeing

A free online resource to help lawyers adopt more mentally healthy ways of working has been launched by legal mental health charity LawCare, with expertise provided by the University of Sheffield and the Open University.

Fit for Law is an interactive online course that is available free to anyone working in or studying law. It takes between two and four hours to complete but can be broken into smaller chunks. The initiative was developed with the help of a series of focus groups attended by legal professionals across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The interactive sessions can be found on the Fit for Law website.

Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of LawCare, said: “We know from our work in supporting lawyers for over 20 years how difficult it is for lawyers to admit they are struggling with the pressures of work  - which often leads them to seek help when they are nearing crisis. We want to change this. Providing legal professionals with resources to enable them to understand and develop key emotional competencies such as emotional self-awareness, self-reflection and better strategies for emotional self-regulation will equip them more effectively for practice, enhance their wellbeing and potentially reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression.” 

Dr Emma Jones, senior lecturer in law at the University of Sheffield said: “The course being launched focuses on ‘managing and understanding yourself’ and offers legal professionals practical tips, based on sound evidence, to assist them in developing healthier working practices to enhance their wellbeing. We are also developing a further course on ‘Working with Others’ and a tool kit for employers, to encourage positive organisational and cultural change in the legal workplace.”