Tackling the emotional toll of legal practice

Traditionally, supervision in legal practice has been managerial and technical, focusing on ensuring that legal work is completed accurately and in compliance with professional standards. This type of supervision typically involves reviewing case files, ensuring that deadlines have been met, and providing oversight to more junior lawyers. While this form of supervision is necessary for maintaining professional standards, it does little to address the emotional and interpersonal challenges that lawyers face, or to address the human element of the work.

Clinical supervision, on the other hand, is a reflective practice that encompasses the relational and emotional aspects of professional work. It is widely used in psychotherapy and counselling, where practitioners are required to engage in regular supervision to ensure that they are practising safely, skilfully, ethically, and competently. In this context, supervision is not just about reviewing technical skills, but also about exploring the therapist’s experience of their work and their clients, and the relational dynamics that arise in that