Wellbeing at the Bar: A clerk’s perspective (Arron Snipe) When I was asked to write a blog on wellbeing from a clerking perspective for Wellbeing at the Bar (‘WATB’), my first thought was what on earth would I write about? With this being my first ever blog, I questioned whether I could share my personal […]
I need help
Barristers inherently face very specific challenges on a daily basis. If you need some help click on support to find contact details and advice on seeking support.
The professional lives of clerks and chambers’ staff include many potential stressors. If you don’t know how to broach an issue, want advice on your options.
These resources have been designed specifically for those who have completed their BPTC and for pupils up to tenancy.
Resources
Guidance on how to introduce wellbeing policies and initiatives and on tackling a wellbeing issue in chambers.
Examples of successful wellbeing initiatives adopted by chambers, Specialist Bar Associations and the Inns of Court.
Support
Who to talk to, how to get help in coping with the pressures and demands of life at the Bar.
Who to talk to and how to get help, resources are for clerks and staff themselves.
Support for students and pupils
Who to talk to and how to get help for those who have completed their BPTC and for pupils up to tenancy.
The confidential 24/7 helpline with access to counselling for barristers, pupils, clerks and chambers’ staff.
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News / Events: Anxiety
Learning to support yourself and others (Nina Caplin)
Learning to support yourself and others Since the inception of the Wellbeing at the Bar initiative in 2015, I have been greatly impressed at how quickly the issue of wellbeing has been embraced by the profession and those who work with barristers. In 2015 the Bar Council’s wellbeing survey indicated that 2 out of 3 […]
Wellbeing at the Bar Blog: Rachel Crasnow KC
A new kind of first aid: mental health first aid Determined, energetic and purposeful high achievers can be the most vulnerable to mental health issues because they push themselves so hard. Barristers, who often work alone, often with long commutes to courts, their self-employed status removing them from any managerial oversight, are particularly susceptible to […]
Wellbeing at the Bar Blog: Victoria Wilson
“Why do you want to be a barrister?” As I type this I am averting my gaze from my epic list of Things That I Need To Do. The most mundane jobs, such as weeding out dead briefs to send back to solicitors, can be immensely appealing when there are far more pressing tasks to […]
Wellbeing at the Bar blog: Julian Greenhill KC
For anyone practising at the Bar, the management of stress is part of your daily professional life. We all experience stress in different ways, with different symptoms and different tell-tale signs that the pressure is building up beyond what is sustainable. Learning how to deal with it comes from experience and over the course of […]
Introducing student wellbeing resources
Introducing student wellbeing resources As a student or pupil, you face challenges both in your work and personal life outside work or studying. Many of you will be young adults in ‘role transition’. In your personal life, you may be forming or indeed breaking relationships, moving to a new house, starting a family etc. and […]
Wellbeing at the Bar blog: Nicholas Peacock
Every September, the PNBA holds a Clinical Negligence weekend conference for its members. We alternate between Oxford and Cambridge and usually have 90-100 members coming along for lectures over a couple of days, with a couple of dinners. Speakers are drawn from the medical and legal worlds. It’s a chance to learn from some people […]
Wellbeing at the Bar blog: Pushpinder Saini KC
20 years can change your life or how the internet revolution has upset my physical and mental wellbeing July 1997. A pleasant breakfast and say goodbye to my baby daughter. Catch the Central Line for the short trip from Lancaster Gate to Chancery Lane. Read a bit of novel (probably The God of Small Things) […]