The Legal Mind

Trish McLellan, Director of Engagement at LawCare, is joined by Trustees Rachael O’Connor and Kayleigh Leonie to talk about their reverse mentoring project.

In this edition of The Legal Mind podcast, Elizabeth Rimmer, LawCare’s CEO, talks with Sharon Glynn, Director, Underwriting, Bond and Speciality at Travelers Europe, about why law firms should be addressing risks to mental health in the workplace and sharing her insights from an insurer’s perspective.

Rose Donnelly, Engagement and development manager at LawCare, was joined by Reena Parmar, Chair of The Law Society of England and Wales Disabled Solicitors Network.

Rose and Reena discuss a number of topics including Reena’s experiences as a disabled woman from a minority ethnic background, her strategies for managing living with non-visible disabilities alongside a busy career in law and multiple carer responsibilities, her role as Chair of the Disabled Solicitors Network and the disability network she set up at Freshfields.

The Law Society of England Wales Disabled Solicitors Network promotes equal opportunities for people with disabilities within the legal profession. It encourages solicitors to use their experiences and expertise to support aspiring solicitors or colleagues seeking to progress in the legal sector. You can follow their work on their LinkedIn group. 

Niamh Warnock, Engagement and Relationship Manager at LawCare, was  joined by Fraser Mackay and Tom McGovern, the founding members of Disabling Barriers Scotland.  

The podcast talks about this new group, which was only set up at the end of 2022. Fraser and Tom talk about their backgrounds, what motivated them to set up the group, what they have achieved, and what they have planned for the future. 

Disabling Barriers Scotland is a support and lobbying group for lawyers with registered disabilities and or issues surrounding neurodiversity.

In this Pride Month special, solicitors Sam John of Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice; Kirsty Limacher of Nexa Law Limited and Sherlock Legal Consulting Ltd; and Laura Thomas of NHS Wales SSP, are interviewed by Helen Randall of Trowers & Hamlins LLP, to discuss all about their roles in people based practice (family law, wills and probate, and Court of Protection respectively) and its interface with mental health.

LawCare’s CEO, Elizabeth Rimmer, talks to Lubna Shuja, President of the Law Society of England and Wales.

In this podcast, Lubna talks about her journey to becoming President, the particular pressures faced by sole practitioners and the importance of healthy workplace cultures to support ethical decision making.

Lubna Shuja is the first Asian, the first Muslim and only the 7th female to become President of the Law Society of England and Wales, which represents 200,000 solicitors.  

Lubna works with a number of professional regulators.  She is currently an Adjudicator Chair of Social Work England’s Fitness to Practise Committee, a Legally Qualified Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee and a Chair of the General Chiropractic Council’s Investigating Committee.  Lubna was a Chair of the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service and a Chair for the Disciplinary Committees of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, as well as a Deputy Clerk at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

LawCare's Niamh Warnock talks to Dr Emma Jones, solicitor turned lecturer and Director of Student Wellbeing for the School of Law at the University of Sheffield, about the newly launched resource Fit for Law: part 2 – Working with others.  

In this podcast, Dr Jones tells us what has driven her interest in the area of emotional competency and the wellbeing of law students and lawyers and gives us an insight into what we can expect from the newest resource in the series which was launched in March 2023.

Fit for Law is a series of online resources designed to provide education to legal professionals to address issues relating to emotional self-regulation and wellbeing.  Go straight to Fit for Law: www.fitforlaw.org.uk.

In this episode of our podcast LawCare’s CEO Elizabeth Rimmer talks with Dr Martyn Bradley, a lecturer and Deputy Director of Studies at the University of Liverpool’s Management School. They discuss Dr Bradley’s recent research concerned with the experiences of fathers working in the law and the ongoing difficulties they face in managing family responsibilities whilst simultaneously being expected to prioritize work over, and segment work from, family. Findings and accounts provide insights into the culture of law which listener-practitioners might find both familiar and alien.

 Webpage link - https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/management/staff/martyn-bradley/

Banter is part of every day life, and in the workplace can help build relationships and a sense of belonging,  but it can cross the line and lead to people feeling uncomfortable,  excluded, harassed or discriminated. In this episode Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO of LawCare, talks with Stella Chandler, Director of Development at  Focal Point Training, about banter. Stella is an experienced trainer, facilitator and coach who works with clients to tackle inappropriate behaviour in their organisations and build inclusive cultures. 

In this podcast Stella shares her insights and research Focal Point have done with  CISI (Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments) into workplace banter and the negative long term impact this can have on both people and organisations,  and the practical steps organisations can take to manage banter and build people's confidence to call it out. 

LawCare champion and LawNet’s  Peter Riddlestone hosts a discussion with LawNet members Fran Ibson, Alex Langley and Richard Carter about the steps they are taking in their firms to ensure supporting the mental health of their staff is not a box ticking exercise and the positive impact this is having on the culture in their firms.  Fran  Ibson is a Senior Associate at Stamp Jackson & Procter Limited, Alex Langley is the HR business partner at Debenhams Ottaway and Richard Carter is Managing Partner at Martin Tolhurst Solicitors. LawNet has been supporting independent firms for over 30 years. Mutual and member owned, LawNet has developed a wide range of services and initiatives to help members stay ahead of their competition, reduce costs, improve efficiencies and profitability.