The “I belong in the LLB” program: Animation and promoting law student well-being

The empirical research on law student psychological well-being in Australia continues to grow in volume and sophistication. Law schools across the country remain indebted to the Jepson family, who engaged the Brain and Mind Research Institute ('BMRI') at the University of Sydney to conduct the first Australian empirical research into lawyer and law student mental health. in 2016, the wider Australian legal community can reflect on the resultant 2009 Courting the Blues report and appreciate not only the evidence base it established, but also what it led to: further empirical research on law student and lawyer well-being at different Australian law school; frank conversations within law faculties about the pervasive and nuanced nature of law student psychological distress; a collegial and committed Wellness Network for Law with members from across the academy, the profession, and the student body; annual Wellness for Law Forums; and finally (and perhaps most importantly) a growing body of rigorous evidence and scholarship on which law faculties can base appropriate and justified action.