Welcome to your September wellbeing spotlight
Welcome back after the summer break. Each month we shine a spotlight on wellbeing news, thoughts, events and support from across the Bar and further afield:
Spotlight – Bar Council launches second Balint Legal reflective practice pilot
This month we’re spotlighting the Bar Council’s second pilot with Balint Legal, looking into the potential benefits of reflective practice for barristers.
Reflective practice gives you the opportunity to analyse and evaluate professional experiences and debrief – evidence suggests it leads to better methods for managing the personal and professional consequences of the work barristers do.
The first pilot, held in 2025, received positive results – you can find out more in a blog from Balint Legal co-founders Marion Baker and Suzanne Jacobs.
A second pilot, made up of two groups of criminal and family barristers based in London and Birmingham, will be held in October 2026.
If you’d like to take part, please complete the form to register your interest by 30 September 2026.
News
New free course to support wellbeing in legal workplaces
LawCare has launched a new free online course, ‘Supporting legal workplace wellbeing’, to help people across the legal sector create healthier, more supportive places to work.
Aimed at managers, team leaders, wellbeing leads and champions, as well as people working in human resources, learning and development and other support roles, the course offers practical guidance on creating better ways of working. It looks at how individuals and organisations can help create workplaces where people feel supported and able to speak openly.
Legal sector workers report poorest wellbeing levels
Legal professionals report the lowest levels of mental and physical wellbeing of any UK sector, according to research from health and fitness network Epassi UK.
The research found that 66% of legal employees regularly feel overwhelmed by their workload, the highest proportion across all sectors.
Only 58% are satisfied with their work-life balance, while 56% said their work often interferes with their personal life.
Workload pressures are also contributing to longer working hours, with 16% of legal professionals working beyond their contracted hours every day and a further 25% doing so several times a week.
‘Women will suffer’ in criminal Bar sustainability plan
The government’s £34m funding plan to bolster the barrister workforce within the criminal legal aid sector will benefit men more than women and undermine the government’s mission to tackle violence against women and girls, representative groups have warned.
The Ministry of Justice’s plan for carving up the cash, which was announced last December, includes a 30% fee uplift for guilty pleas but no increase to the daily fee for attending trials that last more than a day.
The Bar Council and Criminal Bar Association point out in their consultation responses that guilty pleas are less common in cases involving rape and serious sexual offences and these trials are often done by female barristers. By contrast, guilty pleas are common in drug offences and these trials are often done by male barristers.
The Bar Council said women barristers who do back-to-back RASSO trials would not benefit from a guilty plea fee increase “and would suffer” from no increase to the daily attendance fee.
Thoughts
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- John Hyde, deputy news editor of the Law Society Gazette, discusses whether lawyers ever truly switch off, even while on holiday – and the negative impact this can have
- Karen Aitchison, founder of Aitchison Evans Consulting, speaks to LawCare about why calling a legal workplace a ‘family’ may be doing more harm than good
- Yaa Dankwa Ampadu-Sackey, Vice Chair of the Bar Council’s Young Barristers’ Committee, shares her reflections about trauma-informed practice in family law as a junior barrister
Events
Managing harassment, bullying and inappropriate behaviour complaints – Wednesday 7 October
The Bar Council hosts an online training course helping leaders in chambers with responsibility for managing complaints to understand professional and legal responsibilities, whilst protecting the wellbeing of all members and staff.
Foundations of trauma-informed practice for barristers – Wednesday 28 October
This Bar Council online training course addresses a critical gap in legal education: the difference between how we assume people function and how they actually function under pressure – including when distress, overwhelm and trauma are present. It introduces practical, trauma-informed techniques to support more effective advocacy, clearer communication and more sustainable practice.
Support
- BRF subscribers can access 24/7 GP access for them and their families – Find out how to sign up to DoctorLine
- Assistance Programme – Wellbeing at the Bar
- Find information and support from mental health charity Mind
- Helpline, online chat and email support from LawCare
Got a wellbeing event coming up? Want to share your story? Contact us