Mental health

• Stoicism and personal injury law

  24th Nov 2022

  With access to mental health services at a critical low, James Leggo of Travis Schultz and Partners discusses whether lawyers working in tumultuous areas like personal injury, family and criminal law should have training in counselling or psychology, and suggests the ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism as a useful tool.

• TPD: Strengthening a claim and handling a mental health crisis

  31st Mar 2022

  Nari Ali of Revolution Law discusses ‘common yet arguable declines’ from insurers and efficient ways to address them, and recommends pertinent mental health resources for lawyers supporting clients in Queensland and around Australia.

• Pattern of mental health discrimination in insurance industry

  24th Feb 2022

  Concerns raised by the Human Rights Commission have been consolidated in a report by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre investigating how life insurers treat people with past or current mental health conditions. Nick Burton discusses the issues and the implications.  

• Preventative measures to stop burnout in the legal profession

  7th Sep 2021

  More than any other profession, the traditional legal culture sees lawyers working in high-pressure environments with excessive hours, resulting in burnout and mental health issues including depression and anxiety. Dr Frank Chow provides tips on how to prevent burnout in the legal profession, including aligning core values with your workplace and identifying life priorities.

• Over 1,000 Australians with cognitive disability are detained indefinitely each year

  13th May 2021

  The indefinite detention of people with cognitive impairments and/or mental illness in our criminal justice system has been criticised for being arbitrary in nature and subjecting detainees to abuse and serious human rights violations.

  Eileen Baldry AO highlights the reforms needed to dismantle this shameful practice and provide more disability-focused support to those at risk.

• Mental Health (Forensic Provisions) Act provisions replaced by new legislation in NSW

  25th Mar 2021

  The introduction of the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act 2020 (NSW) provides courts with better guidance when diverting a criminal defendant into mental healthcare and treatment. Mark Warren discusses the new Act’s provisions in regard to mental health definitions, the ‘fit for trial’ test, and the replacement of the ‘not guilty’ verdict with ‘not criminally responsible’.

• Provisional payments Bill will benefit workers experiencing mental illness

  27th Nov 2020

  Victorian workers who experience a work-related mental illness will benefit from having much quicker access to treatment and payments due to new legislation which allows for provisional payments to be made, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Happiness is an inside job

  10th Sep 2020

  Clarissa Rayward reflects on the significance of R U OK?Day and explores the foundational ingredients of any happy and successful legal career.

  She interviews ALA member Dean Spanner in her podcast Happy Lawyer Happy Life on prioritising the things that matter: health and relationships. They discuss mindset, perspective and spirituality, and how with hard work and clarity around what brings joy you can live a successful life in and outside of the law.

• Three tips for kickstarting 2020 a happier lawyer!

  12th Dec 2019

  As 2019 draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on how we have managed the inevitable stresses that have arisen in our busy work lives and develop strategies for the year ahead. In this article, Clarissa Rayward, the recipient of the inaugural 2019 Minds Count Award for Individual Leadership in Legal Mental Wellbeing, shares some great tips.

  Exciting news too, Clarissa will also be presenting at our 2020 Queensland Conference!

• Psychometric testing of malingering

  10th Aug 2017

  Professor Ian R Coyle discusses the accuracy of Symptom Validity Assessment Tests (SVTs) in assessing the psychological status of litigants and identifying malingering

   

• Thaiday, RE [2017]: A review of the Mental Health Court system

  13th Jul 2017

  Queensland Mental Health Court decides the case of Mrs Thaiday, charged with eight counts of murder.

• Medical Treatment Planning And Decisions Act 2016 (Vic)

  29th Jun 2017

  New legislation will come into effect on 12 March 2018 that will repeal the Medical Treatment Act 1988, and amend the Mental Health Act 2014.