Mental health and wellbeing in the context of major law firms has been gaining significant attention in recent years. In this climate, there is a growing consensus that surface-level initiatives, such as puppy yoga sessions, though enjoyable, fail to address the root of the mental health challenges faced by legal professionals.
In her recent comments to Law.com International, Caroline Turner-Inskip, the global head of wellbeing at Simmons & Simmons, highlighted this issue saying, “Puppy yoga is not a wellbeing strategy. Sure it’s lovely, crack on and have a cuddle with a puppy! But it’s absolutely nothing to do with the business-critical concept of wellbeing.”
The crux of the matter, according to Turner-Inskip, lies not in one-off “feel good” initiatives but in fostering a culture of wellbeing that is deeply ingrained in the leadership of the firm. She firmly believes that one cannot take care of others without taking care of oneself first. As the leader of the wellbeing strategy at her firm, Turner-Inskip feels she has the capacity to drive forward this change. She explains, “I’m part of the ownership of the business, and I think what that allows me to do is to push and say ‘As a partner of this firm, this is what we’re going to change here.'”
Legal professionals across the globe are echoing Turner-Inskip’s stance. As noticed in the original article on Above The Law, there is an increasing call for law firms to reassess their wellness programming and invest in durable, holistic strategies that will better support their attorneys in the long run.
This conversation underscores a fundamental shift that is needed in the legal sphere – shifting the focus from temporary engagement activities to cultivating a culture of sustained mental health and wellbeing. As Turner-Inskip’s comments demonstrate, it is a change that needs to be driven by a firm’s leadership, making it an inseparable part of the organizational ethos rather than an add-on.