Wellbeing is about having the resilience and ability to carry out your professional duties in a healthy way. 

The Bar Council, in collaboration with the Inns of Court and Institute of Barristers’ Clerks (IBC) have launched a dedicated website for the Wellbeing at the Bar initiative . This website is designed to provide support, advice and best practice to barristers, clerks and chambers on wellbeing and mental health issues. This support and advice is communicated via different mediums such as videos, podcasts, animations and downloadable packs.

The Wellbeing at the Bar programme is designed to:

a)         Provide members of the profession with the information and skills they need to stay well; 

b)         Support members of the profession as they deal with difficulties that arise in so far as they affect a barrister's professional life; and

c)         Provide assistance to those with responsibility (or taking on a supporting role) for those in difficulty or crisis.

Wellbeing at the Bar aims to enable barristers to provide an "optimal professional service" by (i) staying "well" (ii) recognising the signs of becoming "unwell" so as to remedy them and/or (iii) returning from "unwellness" to "wellness". Here (i), (ii) and (iii) are a continuum. 

The wellbeing of barristers can be affected by a very wide range of circumstances, although there are some commonly seen issues arising as a result of the high pressure, performance driven nature of work at the Bar.

Help for Barristers
Barristers inherently face very specific challenges on a daily basis. If you need some help click here to find contact details and advice on seeking support. To find out more about symptoms and for tips and sources of further information please click on the relevant box on the Wellbeing at the Bar Website.  

Clerks/Members of Staff
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 or need to know who talk to click here. To find out more about symptoms and for specific help use the search facility below on the Wellbeing at the Bar Website. 

For more information, please see the Wellbeing at the Bar website here.