Skip to main content

What it's really like working in the law with a mental illness

“I avoided contact with my colleagues for fear that they would see that I wasn’t coping and was just not really there.”

Peter Riddleston is Learning & Quality Director at LawNet

Mental health issues are something that I care very deeply about. I’ve suffered with depression and anxiety on and off throughout my adult life. Right now, I’m in a pretty good phase. About two years ago I took up running and now run marathons and half marathons as part of my support for the mental health charity, Mind. This has enabled me to speak out about my own mental health journey and I’m lucky because the company I work for understands that I can struggle with my mental health and is very supportive.

It’s now a long time since I worked as a practising solicitor but I can remember clearly how I felt during the times when my depression and anxiety were really affecting me. Being in that dark tunnel of depression took a terrible toll on me and made working a daily battle as I struggled to cope with worsening symptoms. Here are a few examples of what I experienced:

Leaving my career as a solicitor behind was very tough and it took me a long time to come to terms with what I’d been through. But, steadily over the last fifteen years or so, I’ve continued to work in the legal sector and forged a rewarding and enjoyable career, specialising in learning and professional development, something which I’ve always been interested in. There have still been difficult times when my mental health hasn’t been good but I’ve steadily found ways, such as running, to work through these spells.

We're here to listen…without judgement

Contact our free, confidential, emotional support service for the legal sector

Man leaning against a wall with his glasses pushed up looking worried