TLT expands wellbeing commitment with Mindful Business Charter

UK law firm TLT has expanded its commitment to improving mental health and wellbeing in the legal industry by signing the Mindful Business Charter (MBC) – a set of behavioural principles designed to tackle and reduce avoidable stress in the legal sector.

The MBC covers four key areas: openness and respect; smart meetings and emails; respecting rest periods; and mindful delegation – with commitments ranging from understanding the implications of an individual’s working patterns to negotiating rather than imposing deadlines.

The charter was originally launched by Barclays, Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard in 2018 and is aimed at both private practice and in-house lawyers. It gained 21 signatories in its first year with a further 17 law firms and businesses signing at an event on 10 October 2019, and is supported by Mind, the Law Society, Law Care and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.

TLT has pledged its commitment to the charter as part of its ongoing activities to help reduce avoidable stress in the legal profession and promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

Jonathan Hoey, partner and head of banking and lender services at TLT, who signed the charter on behalf of the firm, says: “The Mindful Business Charter is a wonderful initiative. Lawyers face particularly high levels of stress in their jobs, but much of this can be avoided if we find ways of working well together and take responsibility for mental health and wellbeing at an individual and firm level.

“I believe the charter and the actions of those who pledge their commitment to it can make a real and significant difference to how we behave as an industry, improving the working lives of thousands of people.

“We have been strong advocates of the charter since it first launched and are pleased to have formally demonstrated our commitment to it today.”