Bullying still impacting the profession, finds LawCare

The mental health charity for the legal sector, LawCare, released its 2023 impact report, which shows that mental health struggles continue to be a serious concern. Finding there has been a dramatic increase in those seeking support because of bullying at work.

The report found a 14% increase in the number of people contacting LawCare for mental health support, and a 95% increase in the number of people saying that workplace bullying, harassment, or discrimination was their primary reason for seeking support from LawCare.

• There was a 14% increase in the number of people contacting LawCare for mental health support; that is 633 people in 2023, up from 583 in 2022.
• In 2023, 92 people who contacted LawCare for mental health support said that workplace bullying, harassment, or discrimination was their primary reason for seeking support. That is up 95% from 47 in 2022.

Read the 2023 impact report.

CEO of LawCare, Elizabeth Rimmer, said:

“2023 was one of our busiest years ever at LawCare, second only to 2020 when the pandemic started.

I would urge individuals and organisations to start taking active steps to create working environments which better protect mental health and where bullying and harassment are not tolerated. We need to drive a collective responsibility in our sector to tackle bullying and harassment by identifying the workplace factors that can lead to it, such as low psychological safety and managers with little or no training and support, and taking positive action to address these.

We need to continue to challenge the stigma that prevents many still from speaking up about their mental health and seeking support. Each single act of storytelling, awareness raising, or advocacy contributes to transforming legal culture. You may never know the impact of your voice – you may give someone the confidence to seek help, provide them with the comfort of feeling less alone, or enable them to speak up too.”

LawCare is keen to get the legal sector talking about bullying and harassment.

They want to help educate ways in which the profession can tackle it, and is running a free webinar on Thursday 8 February 2024, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

LawCare has invited a panel of legal professionals and bullying experts to discuss bullying in the legal workplace and practical strategies for addressing it. To sign up the free webinar, click here.

LawCare has been supporting the legal profession for over 25 years by providing free and confidential emotional support, peer support and information about mental health for anyone working in the law in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. They also offer training, educational resources and research that promotes positive change in legal culture and practice to support mental health.

LawCare works with legal educators, regulators, professional bodies, special interest groups and legal practices to encourage healthy legal workplaces that support mental health and challenge the stigma that can make it hard for some people to seek help.