The Law Society of British Columbia has implemented a number of changes in recent years to increase and address mental wellness in the legal profession. As a top priority for the organization, the approach has been to increase free, anonymous resources to support lawyer well-being and to remove stigma about mental health issues from our regulatory processes.

Studies have shown that up to 50% of legal professionals’ experience mental health issues at some point in their lives and careers. However, approximately the same number report a hesitancy to access help, particularly if it’s provided by their regulator. Why? A significant number of people reported concerns that their information would be shared with the regulator. Others didn’t believe that the program would help them, didn’t feel they had time or didn’t know about the resources.

The Law Society aims to address this gap by dispelling myths associated with accessing help. It’s important to note that all the services listed below, available on the Law Society website, are confidential — no one will know that you have accessed them. As well, mental health professionals who offer counselling through these services have ethical and legal obligations to protect your privacy and confidentiality.

We have also expanded the types of support and resources available to legal professionals in B.C. Knowing that everyone has different preferences and comforts around accessing supports, there are options for in person counselling, online content, one-on-one practice support and much more.

What services are available?

• The Lawyer Well-Being Hub on the Law Society website provides a central access point for supports available to lawyers and their families, including easy-to-access resources, videos, tools and information.
• The Law Society funds personal counselling and referral services through TELUS Health One. Services are confidential and available at no cost to individual B.C. lawyers and articled students and their immediate families.
• The Lawyers Assistance Program provides confidential support, counselling, referrals and peer interventions for lawyers, their families, support staff and articled students who need help dealing with  substance use, stress, depression or other personal problems.
• Access to LifeSpeak, a digital wellness platform that offers anonymous access range of resources, including a library of short, digestible videos with actionable tips, live Q&A web-chats with mental health experts, blog posts and guided meditations
• Confidential advice and support provided by our Equity Advisor for those who experience or witness harassment or discrimination.
• New content in the Advice Decision-Making Assistance provides guidance on tackling challenges in your practice and suggests steps and ideas for solving common challenges.
• Access to practice advisors who can provide confidential practice and ethics advice and information, except in cases of trust fund shortages.

The Law Society has worked hard over the past six years to utilize an evidence-based approach to remove stigma and bias about mental health issues from its processes. The organization does not monitor, investigate or discipline lawyers on the basis that they are experiencing issues with their mental well-being, or the fact that they sought support. In hearings, accessing mental health support is not something that is held against those facing discipline.

Efforts to ensure our processes are in line with best practices include removing the consideration of health conditions from admission processes and implementing the Alternative Discipline Process, a pilot program that diverts lawyers who are under investigation from the regular disciplinary process to one focused on the support and management of underlying health issues.

We recognize that lawyers are human beings, each with a unique set of personal and professional experiences. The Law Society is committed to a regulatory approach that recognizes the evolving understanding of mental health and substance use issues and continuing to support the well-being of legal professionals.