Cultural change and structural reform needed to improve wellbeing in the legal profession

Legal professionals are thought to have higher levels of mental health issues and lower levels of wellbeing than the general population.

These issues and potential solutions are explored in a new book from The Open University, Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Legal Profession, which has recently been published by Bristol University Press.

The book considers perceptions of wellbeing in the legal profession based on an empirical study in the UK and Ireland, making recommendations on several fronts including cultural and structural change to challenge issues of poor wellbeing and mental ill-health within the sector.

The co-authors are Senior Lecturer in Law Dr Neil Graffin, together with OU colleagues Dr Rajvinder Samra and Dr Mathijs Lucassen, and former Law School colleague Dr Emma Jones who is now at the University of Sheffield but remains an OU tutor.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the factors that compromise mental health in legal professionals, and the action needed to address this.

Elizabeth Rimmer
LawCare charity