#15 The Legal Profession This Week: Government Legal Panel Roles and Mental Health​


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By Dheepa​


Government Legal Panel Roles – Are They Worth It?

According to The Lawyer, pricing and fee issues have caused several firms to re-think applying for a place on the UK government’s legal panel. The normal hourly rate of these firms are discounted to almost half or more when working with public institutions (The Lawyer). The debate over fees was sparked when the hourly rates Slaughter and May charged for working on a government mandate were disclosed. The fees were much lower than expected and yet some firms noted they had offered even bigger discounts than the Magic Circle firm’s rates (The Lawyer).

As the nature of government legal work is often high risk and high stakes, there is more partner involvement than usual, making high discounts on fees more costly to the firm (The Lawyer). Government work can also lead to a conflict of interest with corporate clients; another costly loss to firms since working for the latter generates more revenue. However, there is still some upside to a spot on the government’s legal panel. These roles often give firms access to key decision makers, which can help firms navigate the challenges of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic (The Lawyer).

Lawyers Facing Challenging Mental Health Issues

UK and US firms in the private equity space are receiving more big ticket work than ever, and it seems that the price being paid for their success is the mental health of its lawyers. A corporate partner at a leading U.K firm stated “I’m seriously worried about the mental health of my team going forward – the rate we’re going at is unsustainable. The work just keeps coming.” (Law.com). Last summer, firms saw a significant reduction in deal activity due to the pandemic. By late August however, most private equity firms were leveraging their extra dry powder for a slate of deal making that has yet to slow down (Law.com).

Law firms seem keen to support the mental health of their lawyers. However, according to Law.com, junior lawyers note that there is a complete lack of time to take part in these initiatives to begin with, and participation is only feasible when the events are organised outside the working day. One partner noted that while there is a need for senior leaders at the firm to support these initiatives, this can be hard to balance with client needs (Law.com).

Mental health issues among lawyers also impacts the diversity of the firm. A recent study by the American Bar Association has shown that one in four female lawyers in the United States consider leaving their legal careers because of mental health (Law.com). One thing is clear, if balancing staff wellbeing with client workloads is the only way to truly support junior lawyers, then mental health networks and events alone will not suffice. More substantial and radical change needs to be implemented.