Mental Health Law with Steve Lawlor
This week, our LegalTea guest is Steve Lawlor, a solicitor in an area of law you might not even know exists: Mental Health. With Mental Health Law absent from the vast majority of LLB syllabi, this was certainly not the route Steve imagined going down when, armed with qualifications from Birmingham City and Wolverhampton universities, he began work experience answering phones at a law firm. But being in the right place at the right time paid off when a role unexpectedly opened up. Steve was thrust into the world of patients, healthcare professionals, and tribunals and hasn’t looked back since. So, could this rather obscure branch of the law be the right fit for you too?
As a mental health solicitor, your role is to represent patients who have been detained in psychiatric hospitals and who want to get out. After being sectioned, every patient has the right to request a mental health tribunal, and this is where you come in; to advocate for them to leave the hospital. Between meeting patients, reviewing medical records, talking to various healthcare workers, and attending the tribunals themselves, on top of the pressure of dealing with multiple high-maintenance and, at times, volatile clients, this is an extremely hectic job and is certainly not for everybody.
Luckily, there are some key skills which can help you master the role. Firstly, as you’d expect, time management is key. This is not just with regards to balancing a varied and fast-paced workload, which can see a quiet-looking week become extremely busy in a matter of hours. The work is quite independent and, although you might be part of a larger firm, you’re often in your own bubble, managing and controlling your own work. You also need to be very strict with setting yourself clear boundaries between your work and your personal life. Some clients can be very demanding and, as it’s vital to develop a personal relationship with patients you’re working for, the work can take an emotional toll. Clients can ring at any time, so it’s important that you’re strict about keeping work at work as much as possible and don’t answer calls during leisure time.
It’s also important to be a people person, who’s able to get on with a wide variety of different individuals. This doesn’t mean you have to be the world’s biggest extrovert but, as 95% of your time will be spent speaking to people, being able to establish a rapport is an important skill. Equally, while it might sound obvious, you must remember that the clients you will be dealing with have mental health issues. While a detailed medical knowledge of the various conditions you’ll come across isn’t required, having some understanding of your client’s illness is beneficial and will allow you to tailor your interactions with them accordingly. You need to be ready for anything; every day is different and every client is different but you always need to ensure that you are in control of the situation. Working in this area of law can be a real challenge but, if you’re willing to learn and adapt, you might be surprised by what you’re capable of.
If you are interested in moving into this area, be prepared to face some challenges and obstacles which you might not come across for other roles. Firstly, unlike jobs in corporate law, opportunities working in mental health can be difficult to come by. There aren’t that many jobs out there, so be prepared to put in the legwork to find them through Google searches and frequent checks on the Mental Health Lawyer Association job board.
Once you’ve found a job, you’ll then need to go through a grueling accreditation process. Firms will want you to be accredited as quickly as possible so that you can start attending tribunals and earning more money for them. The Law Society’s process is quite complex, involving an application form, numerous observations of tribunals, and a multiple-choice test at the London headquarters. This is topped off by an interview where you’ll be grilled to the point of doubting yourself and your abilities. If you get through all that and you pass, you can’t put your feet up; mental health lawyers need to be reaccredited every three years.
Finally, you will need to be prepared to work very hard to make a job in this area pay. Everything is funded by the Legal Aid Agency for a fixed fee. This can put real constraints on the amount of work you can put into any one case, so you’ll need to be resourceful and prepared for a high intensity of billing.
This might all sound very daunting but if you’re really interested in working in this area of the law, don’t let these things put you off. We need more mental health lawyers, so don’t give up. If you get your head down, work hard, and prove this is the field you want to be in, you will get there eventually. Just make sure to keep in mind these three key bits of advice:
Manage your time. This is high pressure, high intensity work which can move very quickly. You have to be able to work independently and manage your own schedule whilst ensuring you keep a healthy work-life balance.
Be a people person. You’ll be meeting and interacting with a lot of different people as a mental health lawyer, some of whom are dealing with severe illnesses. Be confident in building rapports and adjusting the way you communicate to suit the specific needs of your clients.
Persevere. Mental Health Law is certainly not the easiest area to get into, but these lawyers do vital work, so don’t let the obstacles put you off. Work hard, keep learning, and be proactive in finding opportunities - you will get there!
