Our wellbeing strategy

Did you know: 

• 56% say mental health is often negatively affected by work
• 50% say work is a source of unhealthy stress

In order to detoxify organisations, we want to explore the Law Society's role in regulation and policy when it comes to wellbeing by:

• Understanding what has been delivered in other jurisdictions 
• Learning from other industries outside the law, to broaden our scope of potential ways of working 
• Assessing members and employers' appetite for regulatory/policy interventions on a wide variety of wellbeing issues

In exploring our options we hope to ensure we are an innovative and proactive regulator and membership body, to support and sustain a healthy profession. 

Did you know: 

• 50% of respondents identified workload pressures as a key priority to improve wellbeing
• 45% of respondents (the largest group) cite work/life balance as being their most important career aspiration
• Of the 42% of respondents who have considered leaving the law in the last 5 years (for reasons other than retirement), 69% cited better work-life balance as being the primary driver.  

The Law Society aims to present solutions to ongoing challenges for workplaces to adopt by:

• Developing a deeper understanding of what attracts people to the roles they work in and the key drivers for changing jobs 
• Understanding how the desire for work-life balance is different for specific groups and how this can vary at different career stages
• Monitoring the UK Government's proposed "Right to switch off" 
• Further promotion of the Mindful Business Charter
• Encouraging firms to adopt positive working practices by illustrating the benefits for workplaces and employees.

The overall aim is to create a better work/life balance throughout the profession, by challenging the stigma around 24/7 availability and supporting employers to make targeted interventions. 

Did you know:

• 42% say they’re concerned about how to balance their mental health and career
• 42% of respondents have thought about leaving the law in the last 5 years, for reasons other than retirement
• 43% cited poor mental health as being the reason for considering leaving the law.

To ensure we improve the retention of employees, we will focus on:

• Understanding the main pinch points to retention, focusing on specific challenges which affect different sectors and groups 
• Take a look at internal practices at the Law Society, with a view to leading by example 
• Collect case studies and share advice
• Create a retention guide

The main goal is to equip employers to proactively enable employers to deal with retention issues, which our members report are pervasive throughout the profession and a consistent source of concern. 

Did you know:

• Ease of forming/maintaining close relationships with colleagues reported as better pre-pandemic (36%) than post-pandemic (13%)
• 37% of respondents reported higher levels of isolation post-pandemic, compared to 8% pre-pandemic

As a new area of focus for Lawscot Wellbeing, the Wellbeing Champions will see us increase our impact with volunteers by:

• Running a wellbeing champions pilot, seeing us train a group of wellbeing champions to support Lawscot Wellbeing across Scotland
• Support champions to explore specific themes and issues, and launch their own initiatives in their own fields/local area, for example events, networks or projects 
• Deliver ongoing peer-support opportunities for champions to maximise impact and engagement. 

We aim to increase grassroots wellbeing engagement across Scotland, by empowering our champions to develop both an innovation and peer-support network, to respond to some of the biggest challenges that affect those working in the law day to day. 

Did you know:

• Junior lawyers cited mental health issues more than profession average (average 64% Vs trainees 81% and NQs 75%)
• Training trainees was cited as much better pre-pandemic (40%) than post-pandemic (10%)  

By having a focus on early careers in the legal sector we want to prioritise:

• Improving the consistency of the pipeline of mental health support between universities, the traineeship and beyond 
• Hosting roundtable/events with academic institutions to talk about better proactive wellbeing support and preparation during the LLB and DPLP 
• Direct engagement with trainees to assess readiness for workplace, common challenges and issues in the traineeship, in relation to their impact on mental health 
• Run engagement events with trainees, NQs and managers on targeted support for those at the start of their career journeys 

In achieving the above we hope to improve proactive support from day one of the legal career journey, to help boost retention and wellbeing at an early stage, and ensure career sustainability longer term.

Did you know:

• 64% of profession has had a mental health issue in the last 5 years 
• 35% would  not discuss their mental health at work, for fear of the reaction they would receive from managers
• 30% would fear the reaction from colleagues

In building upon Lawscot Wellbeing we want to:

• Consistently deliver Lawscot Wellbeing events annually, ensuring relevance and targeting key issues, as well as inclusivity
• Continue delivering and improving the Mental Health First Aid programme
• Actively promote the importance of wellbeing through engagement activities 
• Open up peer to peer support groups

Our statistics show that mental health issues are pervasive in the legal profession, but stigma remains high. In delivering consistent and positive messages in relation to mental health and providing opportunities for members and employers to access resources and attend events, we hope to reduce stigma and encourage strong leadership. 

Kenny Robertson (Chair), Head of Innovation & Technology, Legal & Reg Affairs, Group COO, NatWest

Linda Adams, HR Director, Anderson Strathern

Jamie Foulis, Partner, Balfour & Manson

Catherine Hart, Partner & Professional Support Lawyer, Digby Brown

Andrew Laing, Solicitor, COPFS             

Gordon Lennox, Director, Macdonald Henderson         

Trish McLellan, Director of Engagement, LawCare

Laura Meldrum, Senior Associate, Harper Macleod

Sarah Prentice, Solicitor, Scottish Social Services Council

Nicola Rylatt, Solicitor, Glasgow City Council

Emma Smith, Inclusion & Wellbeing Manager, Burness Paull