News / Events

[Article by Health Assured] Stress isn’t a new problem. However, today it is office politics, traffic jams, overwork and late nights that cause levels to rise. Whereas cave dwellers burnt off stress through the physical activity involved in fight or flight; today we often can’t physically fight or run away from the things that cause […]

 Is the working environment of the Bar conducive to damaging our wellbeing? Negative words and phrases can frequently be overheard in our courts and not just from the defendant about to be sent to prison for eight years. Barristers are also guilty of contributing their fair share of negativity to our working environments. The array […]

My wellbeing journey started back in 2014, when I was invited to join the Bar Wellbeing Committee as the IP Bar Association representative. I confess that, at the outset, I did not know much about wellbeing or why it was relevant to practice at the Bar. Shortly after I joined the Committee, and in an […]

[Article by Health Assured] According to a survey carried out by Forth, 85% of UK adults experience stress on a regular basis. April marks the return of Stress Awareness Month – the wellbeing campaign aimed at raising awareness of stress and promoting stress free living. What is stress? Stress is our body’s response to a […]

Many of us are used to getting less than the optimal amount of sleep, arising from late-night working or early starts to far-flung courts. It’s part of the job, isn’t it? Some people can work until 2am with relish. Some choose to start again at 5am. No one likes it. It doesn’t happen all the […]

[Article by Health Assured] Self-Injury Awareness Day is a global event held on 1st March every year – the aim is to reach out to those who self-injury, and educate others. Awareness will lead to understanding and empathy for those who self-injure, as well as reducing the number of those feeling alone and suffering in silence. […]

We have had a busy and productive year promoting members’ wellbeing, which is an increasingly important part of the Association’s work. We continue to work closely with the Bar Council’s excellent Wellbeing at the Bar Working Group. In addition, we have held regular events, including a recent seminar on 17th October 2018, chaired by Nigel […]

I am a barrister.  I am also a recovering alcoholic. For the first few years at the Bar my behaviour around drinking did not seem that different from many of my peers. There was the odd night of when I embarrassed myself through drunken behaviour or failed to make it into chambers the next day. […]