There is no denying the legal profession has come leaps and bounds when it comes to lawyer mental health and wellbeing.
The attitudinal shift is palpable among international law firms in particular, who insiders say are becoming acutely aware of the impact the long hours associated with a career in law can have on what is perhaps their greatest asset—their people.
In recent years a spate of initiatives have been rolled out across their global offices, including those in the Middle East, from flexible work schemes to meditation app subscriptions to trained Mental Health First Aiders.
More importantly, lawyers have got talking—which has helped in some way to break the stigma—raising awareness and sharing ways to navigate a highly pressurised industry.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, with this week, May 13-19, shining a spotlight on mental health in the UK.
LinkedIn is awash with individuals sharing real stories and best practices, and so interested to see how the movement is impacting lawyers in the Middle East, as well as the unique challenges associated with working in this part of the world, I spoke with a number of lawyers, mostly at partner level, in the Dubai office of regional and international law firms. In most cases the lawyers agreed to speak to me on the condition of anonymity, or I have anonymised their names, where relevant, to protect their identity.
Client demands across time-zones
Dubai, in particular, is a very busy market, with lawyers at international law firms often finding themselves juggling the demands of clients across time-zones. Some partners at large firms maintain a practice across Gulf states, which comes with the added pressure of adapting to different work styles on different time-zones, even if only by an hour. It is magnified at UK and US-headquartered firms, they told me. “When I am logging off, the US is only just logging on,” one Dubai-based partner at a US-headquartered law firm said.
“I think we all breathe a sigh of relief when the clocks go back an hour,” another partner in the Dubai office of a UK-headquartered law firm said in reference to UK daylight savings.
The UAE moved to a Monday-Friday working week in 2022 (previously Sunday to Thursday), which one lawyer said has led to longer work hours. “I would use my Sunday to catch-up on work and emails, when clients and colleagues in the international offices would not always be online,” they said. “It [the working week] is also different across GCC countries.”
One finance partner who moved from London to Dubai pointed out a difference in client demands across the cities. “You have to be diplomatic and manage expectations more,” the partner said.
Another Dubai-based law firm partner explained that clients often turn to messaging app WhatsApp when they have been unreachable, blurring the lines between professional and personal communication.
Other challenges
The Middle East is home to a large expat community which comes with its own unique set of challenges, a senior associate in the Dubai office of a UK-headquartered law firm said. “This can be particularly challenging when, for example, elderly parents have health concerns.”
“Most of us are expats who are living in the region away from home for the very first time. It can be overwhelming if you don’t have family here and you’re dealing with a stressful job,” the managing partner of a US law firm’s Dubai office said. “That was magnified during Covid when a lot of us couldn’t leave to travel home and help relatives who may have been struggling which caused extra stress on our staff, being so far away from home.”
Sentiments about juggling work and family life were echoed by another Dubai-based partner at a UK-headquartered law firm:
“People may think that as you progress in your career and become more senior, it becomes easier to achieve a work/life balance. The truth is that I don’t ever feel like I do.”
Continuing, the partner said:
“Each of us is trying our best to manage our professional and private lives and I am faced with choices every week such as whether to stay in the office to complete a task but miss my daughter’s bedtime; or to hit the office early so that I can attend my son’s recital at school that afternoon. Whatever the decision, there is a trade-off and the reality is that, unless I give up sleep altogether, there will be times when I need to focus on a particular aspect of my life to safeguard my professional, marital, parental, or mental health.”
In March, Stephenson Harwood’s Dubai office managing partner, Rania Tadros, shared a post on social media about the “pressure” facing female lawyers following International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day. Tadros told Law Middle East she shared the post in the hope that other lawyers would recognise that “it is okay to have these feelings and still love what you do and do it well”.
Yet, the US law firm managing partner said lawyers in Dubai are still “a little nervous talking about mental ill-health, depression, and anxiety—all very normal things—as they are concerned if others find out it may look as if they can’t handle the stress of the job”.
The managing partner ensures anyone facing these issues at the firm is able to communicate and if necessary, move their work around in a way that doesn’t impact clients or colleagues.
“It is important to give them breathing room until they can perform at their best again,” the MP said. “Law firms don’t want to lose talented people so they have become more accommodating. Gone are the days we’re told to ‘suck it up—this place isn’t right for you, you should probably do something else'”.
A top-down approach
While expectations are high, one employment partner explained that big steps have been taken in recent years to protect mental health, at both a firm and wider government level. “The idea is to thrive, not survive,” they said.
The UAE government last year introduced a federal law on mental health, prioritising the rights of individuals struggling with their mental health. The Federal Law No. 10/2023 on Mental Health also established a framework for their assessment, treatment, and care.
What’s more, law firms have implemented a spate of initiatives to ensure a work/life balance among lawyers.
Herbert Smith Freehills is actively promoting wellbeing in the Dubai office, with the firm’s mental health and diversity champion, Janine Mallis, explaining it takes a firm-wide approach through its network, Thrive.
“As part of Thrive, we have a global mental health champions network, which includes champions working in the Middle East,” she said. “The network is designed to equip people from across all levels and departments within the team to have a better understanding of mental health, the skills to communicate and listen with empathy, and to provide effective signposting to further resources/support.”
Other law firm initiatives include access to specialist support through counselling and confidential hotline services, medical insurance schemes, and remote-working options.
The latter has come about since the coronavirus pandemic, with law firms across the Middle East implementing policies some of which allow lawyers to work from abroad for periods of time. “This has had a hugely positive impact on wellbeing, allowing lawyers to juggle the demands of their day jobs, while being more physically present with their loved ones,” said Mallis.
Baker McKenzie, meanwhile, allocates up to 15,000 AED per year for an employee to access psychiatric care as part of an enhanced medical insurance scheme, and access to a global programme offering care for up to seven sessions. The firm also offers a “special leave day” separate to annual leave entitlement and has an on-site “wellbeing room” providing a quiet space for staff to relax. It also partners with LightHouse Arabia, a Dubai-based mental health and wellness clinic, who deliver monthly webinars.
Middle East law firm BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates has a number of similar initiatives in place, including subsidised gym memberships, fitness classes, and health screenings encouraging employees to prioritise their physical health and reduce stress levels.
Moving forward
For lawyers striving to maintain a work/life balance, Stephenson Harwood’s Middle East disputes head, John Lewis, shared the following advice: “It is never going to be perfect but as part of a highly-driven, often time-pressured team, it is important from both a professional and personal perspective to have complete trust in each other to manage our time and to meet our deadlines (be it working from the office, working from home, or working from the back row of a school auditorium), whilst recognising the quid pro quo: if another team member needs to lean on me today; that team member will be there to support me when I need to lean on them tomorrow.”
Finally, in the flurry of LinkedIn posts, legal consultant and ‘LinkedInfluencer’ Chrissie Wolfe, who has over 38,000 followers on the platform, advised those embarking on a career in law to have “a plan” to manage their mental health. Wolfe, who moved to Dubai in 2020 from the UK, stressed the importance of maintaining perspective and boundaries, saying:
“If it’s gunning for the promotion, the bigger firm, the increased responsibility, the shinier badge while your body and soul are screaming for you to take a different path, you really need to prioritise your health, or risk losing it all together.”
