Latham & Watkins brings in mental health counsellors to deal with employee burnout
Los Angeles law firm Latham & Watkins has hired two mental health counsellors to work in its UK offices, amid mounting concerns around burnout in the legal sector.
The California firm, which is one of the most profitable law firms in the world, has brought in two full time counsellors, with a view to offering staff 24/7 access to therapy.
The hires will allow staff in Latham & Watkins UK offices book online or over-the-phone therapy sessions, in an expansion of the various mental health initiatives the firm has had in place since 2009.
The move comes amid rising concerns around burnout in the legal sector, as critics claim young lawyers are being piled with unreasonable workloads as firms seek to justify their soaring salaries.
A boom in M&A activity linked to the economic impacts of Covid-19 has also seen lawyers take on increasingly large workloads and evermore grueling hours.
Latham & Watkins initiative comes amid fierce competition for legal talent amongst the UK’s top-ranking law firms, which has seen the City’s most prestigious firms offer various tempting perks and increasingly eyewatering salaries.
The decision to bring in counsellors comes as concerns around mental health and wellbeing continue to rise up the agenda.
The hires also come after Jonathan Kewley, a rising star lawyer at Magic Circle law firm Clifford Chance, put a forward a manifesto calling on the firm to transform the its culture, with a view to making it “the most vibrant, happy and uplifting place to work in the world.”