A Reasonable Standard: Wellbeing for Law Students

Mental illness is one of the most important issues for law students, and we don’t mean the type you need to spot on your exam. If you haven’t been affected by it, it is most likely you know someone who is.

The 2007 Beaton Consulting and beyondblue national depression initiative revealed that lawyers and law students have alarming rates of mental illness and symptoms. When compared to other professions, lawyers experienced the highest incidence of depressive symptoms. Respondents from law firms were also the most likely to use alcohol or other drugs to reduce or manage their symptoms. (Law Council of Australia)

“Suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents: 324 Australians aged 15-24 are dying by suicide in 2012. This compares to 198 (6.4 per 100,000) who died in car accidents (the second highest killer).” (beyondblue)

This is not something to brush under the carpet and laugh off. The time to start looking after yourself is right now. This website is a compilation of resources to help you balance your studies with a consideration for your mental health. In it, you will find honest stories, articles, interviews and a host of other content to help support your studies and your wellbeing.

Whilst much of the information contained in this website is related to Monash University, it is by no means exclusionary of students from other disciplines and other universities. Mental illness is a societal issue and we have tried to make our material accessible, however, there is a focus on the experience of law students.

You are worth more than your grades, or what firm you clerk at, or how many application rejections you’ve received. You are how many smiles you’ve enjoyed with friends, you are how much you’ve struggled through and how far you’ve come. On behalf of everyone on the team, we wish you well in your studies and whatever you do afterward. We hope that you connect with something valuable on this website. If you wish to share your story with us, please get in contact.

Christian Lane (Co-founder) 

Transitioning into First Year:

In this section you will find advice on how to survive your first year. Everyone was a JAFFY once, and we’ll share with you all our tips and tricks, the mistakes to learn from and what social events to attend!

International Students:

In this section you will find information specific to you as an international student. Studying away from home can be tough, and we aim to make it easier by sharing our favourite hang-outs in Melbourne, dealing with homesickness and all the ways you can get a leg up in the law by leveraging your unique cultural and ethnic background.

Mental Health and Wellbeing:

In this section you will find honest conversations about managing mental health during your time at Uni. Law can be super intense and we understand how hard it can be to juggle life, work, and your grades.   Specifically, you will hear advice from graduates, law students and professionals opening up about their struggles and articles based on our own experiences of traversing the circus that is a law degree.

Interviews:

In this section you will find our conversations with real people: lawyers, academics, business men and women, and plenty more. We ask them about their experiences with mental illness, how they chose the path they did coming from a law degree, and their opinions on pertinent issues in the law. Each interviewee comes from their own walk of life and brings a wonderful, new perspective on the problems we all face as humans.

Resources & Help:

In this section you will find information on how to seek extensions and special consideration at uni. It will also provide guides as to how to seek professional help for sexual assault and other misconduct through the Monash University system.