Law Society Director General Mark Garret said last night (7 September) that there was absolute unanimity on the Law Society Council about the need to invest in psychological support services for all members.

Speaking at the Psychological Services festival at Blackhall Place, the director general said that research made clear how stressful the legal profession could be for practitioners.

“We've known that those services are needed, and it is time that we invest behind them,” he said.

Eight out of ten surveyed Law Society members said that well-being and mental health issues were either challenging or extremely challenging, he added.

Attracting talent

The profession faced many issues and pressures, he continued, and if it was not prepared, it would suffer in terms of attracting talent.

“We will not continue to attract the brightest and the best, so investing in psychological resources is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do for the future of the profession,” he said.

Former Law Society President Michael Quinlan, who drove the focus on mental health during his term in office, said that the psychological health of members was as important as proper regulation.

The legal profession was not immune to the worries and difficulties of the world, he said, and the goal of the new service was to improve the wellness of every solicitor.

Sign up online for the Business of Wellbeing Summit on 3 October.