There is a responsibility on lawyers to make choices about what organisational culture they want to be part of…’ said Queensland Law Society CEO, Rolf Moses when he spoke at the recent GCDLA Wellness breakfast. Rolf also spoke about the conscious awareness that needs to happen around wellbeing so there can be education around this topic and ultimately change.

Anna Morgan, Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn, spoke about vicarious trauma and the cumulative effect that it has on lawyers when we hear our client’s stories over and over again. She also spoke about the ABC’s of self-care, A= awareness, B=balance, C=connection.

The final panel speaker was Cliff Battley a local clinical psychologist who also does work around self-esteem, anxiety, stress and helping people work towards long-term positive change. Cliff reminded us that we should be preventative in our approach to our wellbeing, not curative. In the same way you take your car for a service every 6 months, we should be checking in with a psychologist regularly about our mental wellbeing.

The morning was well attending by a number of local practitioners and it was especially encouraging to see young lawyers being part of this important conversation.

The panel discussions was followed by a session run by Rolf Moses training lawyers, who are supervisors and leaders in their firm, about how to identify, support and manage the wellbeing of their staff.

It was an insightful learning experience with many helpful strategies to implement.

If local firms or organisations are interested in Rolf Moses attending the Gold Coast to run another supervisor training course, please get in touch with us at: info@gcdla.com.au

Thanks are extended to those who presented and attended and a special vote of thanks to Minter Ellison who extended the use of their office to us and put on a delicious spread for breakfast.

If members have suggestions or ideas about future events for the GCDLA please get in touch with us at: info@gcdla.com.au