Wellbeing

Wellbeing at the Bar

St Pauls Chambers aspires to be an ‘Employer and Chambers of Choice’, aiming to encourage and facilitate working practices and services that support the health and wellbeing of all staff, pupils, and barristers.

We are a proud recipient of a certificate of recognition for invaluable dedication to wellbeing in our Chambers.

Why Is Wellbeing at the Bar Important?

Work can have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing. Healthy and well-motivated barristers and staff members can have an equally positive impact on the productivity and effectiveness of Chambers.

Thus, addressing workplace mental wellbeing can help strengthen the positive protective factors of employment and reduce risk factors for mental ill health. It can also help promote the employment of people who have experienced mental health problems and support them once they are at work.

Furthermore, mental ill health and stress are associated with many of the leading causes of disease and disability in our society. Promoting and protecting the mental wellbeing of people in Chambers is important for individuals’ physical health, social wellbeing, and productivity.

Barristers and Wellbeing: Influences

Responsibility for health and wellbeing at work belongs to everyone in Chambers, from those undertaking a mini-pupillage to our most senior barristers. Factors that can influence whether people will have a positive or negative relationship with work may include:

• Relationships between staff and barristers;

• Relationships between work groups and departments;

• Relationships between line managers and other staff;
• Whether staff and barristers feel involved in organisational issues and decisions;
• The job scope of staff;
• The scope of barristerial practice;
• Income to meet more than just basic needs;
• Availability and acceptability of flexible working;
• Awareness of occupational health issues and whether they are taken seriously;
• Whether the principles of fairness, equality, and diversity are experienced in Chambers.

Actions to Protect Wellbeing at the Bar

As part of a commitment to protect barrister wellbeing, Chambers operates a mentoring scheme and provides training to support:

• Managers with the skills to manage people, practice development, and the business as a whole;
• Pupils and junior tenants with support and guidance from more senior members;
• Skills training to utilise new systems and technologies;
• Greater awareness of equality and diversity, including disability and mental health issues;
• Opportunities for professional development for barristers relevant to their area of work;
• Awareness of the signs of stress in ourselves and others.

Increasing Wellbeing at the Bar with a Strong Work-Life Balance

St Pauls Chambers acknowledges and seeks to raise awareness that because barristers are self-employed there is an assumption that they have control of their work-life balance. However, the very fact of being self-employed adds pressures that employees do not experience.

The desire to maintain a busy practice and to keep clerks and solicitors happy can result in taking on too much work. This can seriously upset work-life balance and may lead to unhealthy work-related stress.

St Pauls Chambers operates a supportive referral scheme When pupils and barristers display more than occasional cognitive, emotional, physical, or behavioural symptoms of stress, this may give rise to concerns by colleagues. In such cases, they will be invited, in the first instance, to meet with their Mentor or the Senior Clerk (or both) to discuss their workload and the management of their practice.

At any time, pupils and barristers can arrange to see one of the designated Mentors or the Senior Clerk if they feel a need to rebalance their practice for whatever reason.

The Head of Chambers (with the appropriate Mentor and Senior Clerk, if necessary) will consider any request for flexible working for any barrister or pupil in Chambers.

Mental Wellbeing Support for Barristers

Important aspects of mental health and wellbeing include:

• Providing information and raising awareness
• Management skills to deal with issues around mental health and stress effectively
• Providing a supportive work environment
• Offering assistance, advice, and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem or returning to Chambers after a period of absence due to mental health problems

We recognise that with the right support, people with a mental health condition can, and do, stay in work and excel in their barrister career. Discover further details regarding Wellbeing from the Bar Council.

Moreover, staff, pupils, and barristers can access help from Wellbeing at the Bar:

• Support for clerks
• Support for pupils
• Support for barristers

Have a Question about Wellbeing at the Bar?

If you have a query or concern regarding our mental support for barristers, please get in touch with us.

We aim to be fully transparent about the types of support and guidance we offer and believe in fostering an environment where mental wellbeing is a top priority. Explore our policies for more details on how we operate.