The Law Society of England and Wales will co-launch Solicitor Wellbeing Alliance with LawCare, the Solicitors’ Charity and the Mindful Business Charter. Outgoing president Mark Evans announced the plan on Wednesday (14 October), ahead of stepping down at the Society’s annual general meeting.
The four organizations will coordinate support for solicitors and firms by improving access to existing resources, guidance and services. The alliance also plans to improve signposting, share insights about emerging wellbeing issues and work to influence workplace culture and practices.
Co-launch Solicitor Wellbeing Alliance Sets Shared Priorities
LawCare’s Life in the Law 2025 research provides part of the context for the initiative. Half of respondents said they had experienced anxiety during the previous 12 months, while three in five reported poor mental wellbeing. Another 43% said their mental health and wellbeing were significantly influenced by work.
The alliance is intended to give solicitor wellbeing a unified voice and address work its members could not achieve individually. Its stated focus is practical output: raising awareness of available support and helping law firms and in-house bodies act on wellbeing.
Evans said no single organization could tackle the profession’s wellbeing challenges alone. He said the members could raise awareness of existing support, share expertise and help drive healthier workplace cultures.
“The alliance brings together organisations with a shared goal: ensuring solicitors can access the support they need to thrive.”
He said members would develop and deliver practical outputs to improve awareness, share learning and help solicitors and legal organizations take positive action. The alliance follows LawCare’s research, while the reported alliance announcement also came as Evans outlined other Society decisions.
Three-Year Funding Continues for LawCare and LawWorks
Earlier that week, Evans confirmed the Society would provide three more years of funding to LawCare and pro bono charity LawWorks. In the first year, LawCare will receive £170,000 and LawWorks £130,000. The funding supports mental health services for lawyers and legal advice for people unable to afford it.
The commitment extends existing support, changing the funding period from a single annual grant to three years. It follows an April announcement that the City of London Law Society and the City of London Solicitors’ Company entered a three-year strategic partnership with LawCare, pledging a combined £45,000 for wellbeing.
LawWorks chief executive Rebecca Wilkinson said multi-year funding gives the charity greater financial certainty and room to make longer-term strategic decisions. LawCare interim chief executive Trish McLellan said continuing the commitment would let the charity keep supporting people and work to prevent poor mental health across the sector.
Evans will leave his University of Law role and resign his Society council seat representing North Wales before becoming LawCare’s chief executive in November. He will replace Elizabeth Rimmer, who left after 12 years leading the charity. McLellan has served as interim chief executive since July.
The Society said its funding decisions were made independently of Evans before his move to LawCare. A spokesperson said the Membership and Communications Committee makes those decisions, and that the president is not a member and has never had a role in determining funding.
The alliance’s members will now work together on practical outputs, while the Society’s three-year grants support LawCare and LawWorks. Related Law Society coverage includes the Society’s work with solicitors, a law society leadership change and professional concerns about justice safeguards.
