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Anita McCallum, Director of Impact and Development at The Solicitors’ Charity Talks to Legal Women UK About Her Role And the Important Work The Charity Is Doing To Support Solicitors Through Life’s Challenges
The legal profession is often characterised by strength, intellect and resilience. From the outside, it can appear as though solicitors are expected to manage whatever life throws at them with composure and control. Yet, like any profession, law is made up of people whose lives can be complicated, unpredictable and, at times, deeply challenging.
“Behind every practising certificate is a human being with a life that doesn’t stop at the office door.”
At The Solicitors’ Charity, we are here for the moments when life tips out of balance. We support solicitors when experience and professionalism are no longer enough to carry the weight of illness, family responsibilities, bereavement, mental health challenges or financial pressure.
As Director of Impact and Development, my role is about ensuring that our support reflects real lives, not assumptions. It is about recognising that vulnerability can affect anyone, at any stage of their career, and that asking for help should never be seen as a failure. It’s also about finding sustainable funding to deliver that support now and in the future.
What The Solicitors’ Charity Stands For
The Solicitors’ Charity has been supporting solicitors since 1858. While the profession has evolved dramatically over that time, the need for confidential, compassionate support has remained constant.
We provide practical, emotional and financial support to solicitors who are experiencing hardship. Importantly, our support is not limited to those currently practising. We work with:
- Solicitors early in their careers
- Those taking career breaks or working part-time
- Individuals who have stepped away from practice altogether
- Retired solicitors facing later-life challenges
“Need doesn’t follow career stages - and support shouldn’t be restricted by them either.”
Eligibility is intentionally broad. If you have been admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and are facing difficulty, you may be eligible for support, as may any of your dependants.
That support can take many forms:
- Practical guidance, particularly where life circumstances feel overwhelming
- Emotional and wellbeing support, often through specialist partners
- Financial grants to help with essential living costs, housing, utilities or unexpected crises
Applications for support can be made directly via our website, and every enquiry is handled with discretion, care and respect
My Role: Listening, Learning And Making Meaningful Impact
As Director of Impact and Development, I spend a great deal of time listening - to applicants, to colleagues, to partners, and to the wider profession.
Impact is sometimes reduced to metrics, but for us it begins with understanding. We ask not only what support we provide, but what changes as a result of that support.
“Impact isn’t just about what we give - it’s about what changes for someone afterwards.”
We ask questions like:
Did our support prevent someone from losing their home?
Did it relieve financial stress at a critical moment?
Did it help someone regain stability, confidence or hope?
We combine quantitative data with qualitative insight, because numbers alone cannot tell the full story. Behind every application is a person navigating a complex set of circumstances, and our responsibility is to respond with care, fairness and evidence-informed decision-making.
A Career Shaped By Complexity And Compassion
My approach to this work has been shaped by decades across the private, public and charity sectors. I have held senior roles in the NHS, worked closely with Macmillan Cancer Support, and led organisations in the homelessness sector.
Across all of those settings, one truth has remained constant: people’s lives do not fit neatly into boxes.
“You cannot separate health, finances, work and family - they move together, whether systems are designed for that or not.”
Health challenges rarely exist in isolation. Financial pressure can exacerbate illness. Caring responsibilities can collide with professional expectations. Trauma and loss do not conveniently remain outside working hours.
This understanding is essential when supporting solicitors. The profession attracts capable, conscientious individuals, many of whom are used to being the person others rely on. That can make it particularly difficult to acknowledge vulnerability or ask for help.
At The Solicitors’ Charity, we meet people where they are. We expect complexity, and we respond with empathy rather than judgement.
Women In Law: Understanding Layered Experiences
While we support solicitors of all genders, we are acutely aware that many of the challenges we see affect women in law in specific and cumulative ways. And this is reflected by the fact that 65% of individuals helped by the Charity are female.
- We hear from women juggling demanding roles alongside unpaid caring responsibilities.
- From women whose careers have been disrupted by maternity leave, menopause, ill health or caring for ageing parents.
- From women experiencing financial vulnerability following divorce or relationship breakdown.
- And from women who have spent years “pushing through” stress and exhaustion before reaching a point where something has to give.
“So many women come to us not because of a single crisis, but because of years of accumulated pressure.”
These experiences are not a reflection of individual weakness. They are the product of systemic pressures, societal expectations and professional cultures that do not always accommodate life’s realities.
Recognising this context allows us to design support that is more responsive, flexible and humane.
The Importance Of Partnership In Supporting Wellbeing
No single organisation can meet every need, and sustainable support depends on collaboration.
That is why The Solicitors’ Charity is proud to fund support from LawCare, a specialist charity providing confidential emotional support, peer connection and resources for legal professionals, whatever their role.
“Financial stability and emotional wellbeing are inseparable - one cannot be addressed without the other.”
LawCare plays a vital role in supporting mental health and wellbeing across the sector, including for women experiencing burnout, anxiety or isolation. Our funding helps ensure that everyone working in the law can access specialist emotional and peer support alongside the financial and practical assistance we provide.
You can read more about how we understand the profession’s needs and our collaborative approach here:
- https://thesolicitorscharity.org/article/needs-of-the-profession/
- https://thesolicitorscharity.org/article/legal-pause-episode-3/
Measuring Impact With Fairness And Transparency
Every decision we make at The Solicitors’ Charity carries weight. Resources are finite, and need is growing.
Measuring impact helps us ensure that:
- Support reaches those in genuine hardship
- Decisions are fair, consistent and transparent
- Funds are used responsibly and effectively
- We can adapt as the profession’s needs change
“Good impact measurement isn’t about control - it’s about trust.”
It also allows us to challenge assumptions. The profile of applicants is shifting, and our data helps us anticipate emerging issues, rather than simply responding once a crisis has already taken hold.
Impact measurement, when done well, builds confidence among donors, partners and the profession that support is being delivered thoughtfully and responsibly.
Why Sustainability Is Now Central To Our Work
Sustainability is not a theoretical concept for us - it is a practical necessity.
Demand for support is increasing, driven by economic pressures, changing career patterns and growing awareness of mental health challenges within the profession. At the same time, charities are operating in a more constrained funding environment.
“Sustainability means being able to say: we will still be here when the profession needs us most.”
For The Solicitors’ Charity, sustainability means:
- Planning for long-term demand, not just immediate crises
- Investing in insight and prevention
- Working collaboratively rather than duplicating effort
- Ensuring governance and decision-making remain robust
Reframing Support As A Professional Strength
One of the most important cultural shifts we can make as a profession is to reframe what it means to ask for help.
Support should not be seen as a last resort or a mark of failure. It is a professional resource which enables solicitors to recover, regroup and continue contributing in ways that are sustainable for them.
“Looking after people is not separate from professionalism - it is fundamental to it.”
When we support individuals well, we strengthen the profession as a whole.
Funding Vital Support Now And Into The Future
The “development” part of my role is an interesting one. Historically, The Solicitors’ Charity has been funded through investment income and unclaimed client balances.
Demand for support is not letting up, cases are becoming more complex, and reserves are now being used to meet need in the here and now. With the future of unclaimed client balances uncertain in the sector, the Charity is now asking the profession to play a more active role in helping sustain this vital support.
We ask that all firms and suppliers to the legal sector to consider donating to the Charity through various ways:
Let us have your unclaimed client balances or other one-off donation
Join Firm Friends (a corporate giving scheme)
Make us your Charity of the Year – and use it to either make a one-off donation or as a fun way to fundraise within your organisation!
A Message To Legal Women UK Readers
To the women reading this who are working in law: if you are struggling, you are not alone, and you are not an exception.
Whether you are facing a crisis or a gradual accumulation of pressure, support exists. At The Solicitors’ Charity, we are committed to understanding your circumstances, responding with compassion, and continually improving what we do through evidence and insight.
Looking Ahead
My work - and the work of The Solicitors’ Charity - is grounded in a belief that understanding people leads to better outcomes.
By combining empathy with data, compassion with accountability, and care with sustainability, we aim to deliver support that is meaningful, fair and enduring.
Because behind every solicitor is a human story - and those stories deserve to be met with care.
Find out more or apply for support (Get Help) at How we help - The Solicitors' Charity.
Or to give support in the form of donations or unclaimed client balances, click here: Play your Part Play your Part - The Solicitors' Charity
Please do connect with me on LinkedIn.
Anita McCallum
Director of Impact and Development
The Solicitors’ Charity
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-mccallum-36629a8/
March 2026