Don’t go it alone: find your community
In the demanding and sometimes lonely legal sector, it’s easy to feel like you’re on your own. But you’re not. This Mental Health Awareness Week, LawCare is shining a spotlight on the power of community – how it supports us, connects us, and helps us thrive.
Community is one of the best tools we have to protect and improve mental health. When we feel seen, heard, and understood, we’re more likely to open up, ask for help, and offer support in return. In the legal sector – where intense pressure, high expectations and long hours are often the norm – building strong, supportive relationships is a way to find the connection, perspective and strength to manage the demands of working in law.
But community doesn’t just happen. We build it through trust, honest communication, inclusion, and collaboration. It begins with a conversation, a coffee, or simply asking someone how they are.
Who do you turn to when it’s tough?
Communities come in many shapes and sizes. You might find yours:
- In your workplace, when colleagues check in and look out for each other.
- At home with family and friends.
- Through professional networks and forums, where you can talk to others working in similar fields and share ideas.
- In shared identity groups, where you can connect with other people who’ve had similar experiences to you.
- Online, via virtual meetups, support groups, or chatting with others on social media.
- With LawCare – a welcoming, non-judgemental space offering confidential support, peer support, and resources specifically for the legal sector.
LawCare is more than a helpline
LawCare is a supportive community run by people who’ve worked in the legal sector and understand what it’s really like.
If you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, lonely, or just need someone to talk to, you can get in touch with LawCare. You’ll speak to a trained volunteer (who has firsthand experience of the legal sector) who will listen without judging. You can get in touch Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, on 0800 279 6888 or use the online chat on the website: www.lawcare.org.uk
LawCare’s peer support programme is another way you can find support. Again, you will be put in touch with someone who’s worked in law and been through similar struggles.
Alongside one-to-one support, LawCare helps connect the legal community through webinars, practical training, insightful research, and events. We also share helpful resources and real stories on our website and in our LinkedIn newsletter, supported by our brilliant network of volunteers, Champions, and Trustees.
Don’t stand on the sidelines this Mental Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness Week is a good time to think about who supports you – and to take small steps that help build a stronger community around you:
- Talk more
Talking to others really helps – especially when work is busy and stressful. You could grab a coffee with a colleague, check in with a client, or message someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Even picking up the phone instead of sending an email can help you feel more connected and supported. - Join LawCare’s Gen Z webinar on Thursday 15 May
The legal sector is evolving, and the next generation is already making an impact. Our webinar will talk about how expectations are shifting and what this means for the future of the legal community.
📅 Sign up: Let’s Talk About Gen Z webinar: LawCare – Let’s talk about Gen Z
- Support LawCare
At LawCare, we believe that no one in law should feel they have to struggle alone. But we need your help to do this. You could:- Raise money for LawCare – Whether you run, hike, walk or paddle with colleagues, every pound raised helps us to support the legal community. You could also choose LawCare as your Charity of the Year and make a bigger impact.
- Share your story – Telling your story might be just what someone else needs to hear. You could write something for our website, speak at an event, or share your experience in your own workplace to challenge stigma and build solidarity – helping to help create a more open and supportive culture.
- Donate – Every donation helps fund LawCare’s free, confidential helpline and online chat, train peer supporters, run webinars, carry out research, and reach more people across the legal community – https://lawcare.org.uk/donate
- Join our new 25 Club, a way for individuals and organisations to get closer to our work and be an active part of the LawCare community – LawCare’s 25 Club | LawCare
Being part of a community instils a deep-rooted sense of belonging and drives collective change by influencing culture, policy and organisations in ways that a single voice cannot.
This Mental Health Awareness Week is a good reminder to think about the people around us – where we find support, who we talk to, and how we can be there for others. Whether it’s a quick chat with a colleague, a message to a friend, or reaching out to LawCare, the power of community can be transformative.