Let’s talk about addiction webinar recap
This webinar on addiction took place on Thursday 13 February 2025. Our specially invited panel shared their experiences and perspectives on addiction within the legal sector. They offered insights on how addiction manifests, how it can affect mental health and wellbeing, and practical ways you and your workplace can help.
The hidden struggle
Many legal professionals struggle with addiction but feel unable to ask for help due to fears of judgement, career consequences, and the profession’s culture of resilience and perfectionism. The profession’s demanding nature - long hours, high pressure, and a culture that often equates success with emotional detachment - can create the perfect storm for addiction.
Many lawyers rely on their addictions as coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, and burnout. However, as addiction progresses, it isolates individuals, damages careers and relationships, and severely impacts mental and physical health.
Recognising the signs
- Declining performance - missed deadlines, frequent mistakes, or lack of focus.
- Changes in behaviour - mood swings, increased secrecy, or withdrawal from colleagues.
- Physical signs - dishevelled appearance, fatigue, or a noticeable smell of alcohol.
- Strained relationships - conflicts with colleagues, isolation, or absenteeism
One speaker highlighted how high-functioning individuals can mask their struggles, making it even harder to detect issues. Many addicted professionals continue working at a high level (until they can’t anymore).
The power of connection
The panel featured legal professionals in recovery, sharing how addiction affected their work and personal lives. One speaker described how he hid his addiction for years, maintaining a professional appearance while struggling in private. He suffered in silence and covered up his issues by overworking.
Another panellist, an HR director with over 25 years in the legal sector, emphasised that addiction is often misunderstood. She spoke about colleagues being disciplined rather than helped and stressed the urgent need for open conversations and proactive workplace support.
The most critical factor in recovery? Connection. Recovery thrives in honest, open, and supportive environments where people feel safe to seek help.
“Recovery is all about connection. You know it's all about connecting with people, connecting with consequences, connecting with reality… because if you don't, you don't get recovery. Addiction flourishes where there is deceit, where there's dishonesty, where there is pride, where there's stigma. Recovery flourishes where there is honesty, openness and acceptance.”
We’ve come a long way in recognising addiction as an illness and offering support. Talking about it openly has helped break the stigma, but there’s still more to do.
Managers have their own pressures, but compassion matters. Too often, people struggling with addiction are met with discipline instead of support.
Creating a workplace where it’s safe to ask for help benefits everyone. It leads to greater efficiency, innovation, loyalty, and a more inclusive culture. When new employees see real support in place, it encourages them to seek help rather than suffer alone.
Addiction takes over a person’s life - it’s all-consuming. Without support, they can’t step back and see a way out. But when workplaces prioritise mental health, the impact is huge. Companies lose billions to absenteeism and burnout, investing in real support is not just the right thing to do, it’s smart business.
“Showing compassion to people will be rewarded with greater efficiency, innovation, loyalty, a happier and inclusive workforce. You'll have young trainees or anyone new to your firm saying ‘Wow during orientation they showed me this programme they have for people with addictions. What a wonderful thing they do for people that are struggling’… That'll be great for the image, but equally it will make people who have these issues come forward.”
Panellist: Steve McCann
Steven McCann is the Founder & Director of MCG Consulting, a consultancy dedicated to fostering healthier, more resilient workplaces through bespoke mentoring for managers and team members, addiction support, and mental health initiatives. With 18 years in the legal sector, Steven’s work aims to reduce stigma and empower individuals and organisations to thrive. He also serves as Deputy Chair at ReachOut, a mentoring charity supporting young people in under-resourced areas, and is Co-Founder of a national rare disease charity. Steven’s story and expertise have been featured in LawCare and other national media, and Steven is featured regularly on industry panels.
Panellist: Sarika Lynch
Sarika Lynch has worked in Big Law firms, mainly US, for over thirty years and is currently International Director of Office Administration for Baker Botts LLP where she has been for 13 years. Highly skilled in international strategy, project management and employee relations, people development with strong leadership skills. Her strengths are in understanding people at all levels and achieving the best through collaboration and staff development. Strong cultural understanding in each jurisdiction with the ability to influence at all levels. Areas of specific interest include wellbeing, lawyer and staff welfare, coaching, diversity and inclusion. Working with people to achieve optimum results for all in a transparent, humanistic and compassionate approach and dedicated to creating a fairer, kinder, more productive healthy environment. Demonstrated success and high retention rates within all law firms she has been in charge of HR.
Sarika has been in recovery for over 27 years and is actively involved with LawCare volunteering for over twenty years. A firm believer in service and giving back to others to enrich life and spirit. A sense of humour is essential
Panellist: Mark Hepburn
Mark is an accredited counsellor and psychotherapist with wide ranging experience across the mental health spectrum. Having also worked within the fields of addiction treatment and occupational health he is now in private practice. He has a longstanding relationship with LawCare dating back to 2002 and currently provides clinical supervision to staff and volunteers.
Please make a donation to LawCare when you book your place
We're thrilled that these webinars are so popular, with hundreds of sign-ups each time we run one.
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