Charity Partner

CHARITY AUCTION IN AID OF LAWCARE – the mental health charity for the legal sector

Across the UK, over 341,600 people work in the legal profession in some capacity (Statista, 2023), including solicitors, barristers, advocates, judges, chartered legal executives, paralegals, and those in HR and business services roles. The UK government calculated that the legal sector contributed £22 billion to the economy in 2021. As we all know, a career in law can be demanding with long hours, a heavy workload and a culture that can make it hard to admit you are struggling or to ask for help.

Over the last 25 years, we have listened to thousands of people in our sector share their struggles of working in law, including stress, anxiety, depression, overload, difficult workplace relationships, bullying, discrimination, harassment, ineffective supervision, and poor work-life balance. Our Life in the Law study with legal professionals in 2021 found that:

    • 69% had experienced mental ill-health in the previous 12 months, including anxiety, low mood, and depression, with 22% saying they felt unable to cope.
    • 22% had experienced bullying, harassment, or discrimination at work.
    • Legal professionals are at significantly high risk of burnout, particularly junior lawyers, people from minority ethnic groups and disabled people.
    • Demand for our services is ever-increasing, and we are receiving more and more contacts each year.

“I was terrified of making mistakes for fear of being shouted at and I was terrified of being struck off. Having worked so hard to qualify, I felt stuck and panicked as I wasn’t sure what else I could do. I was also upset that I felt unable to cope when others in my team seemed to be managing and management didn’t seem to care.”

LawCare exists to support and promote mental wellbeing across the legal community in the UK. We are the only independent, dedicated emotional support service for the legal profession, providing direct confidential and free support services and information to help people in our sector cope with the demands of life in the law. Our support services are provided by a team of staff and volunteers who have direct experiencing of working in the law; we understand life in the law.

We work with legal educators, regulators, professional bodies, special interest groups and legal practices to improve the culture in law, encourage healthy legal workplaces that support mental wellbeing and challenge the stigma that can make it hard for some to seek help.

We are striving for a legal profession where people thrive. Please do bid on the lots in the silent auction or scan the QR code to donate to LawCare on the night. If you would like to make a donation now, please click here. We rely on the generosity of our community to fund our work, by donating to LawCare you are showing your commitment to supporting the mental health of the people in our sector. Thank you for your support.