Vision

Amber Law’s vision is one where the current injustices experienced by law students, lawyers and clients are remedied by the increase in law student study and law practice globally, following my innovative 7-Step Holistic Justice Law Practice Model. 

THE PROBLEM: INJUSTICE IN THE FIELD OF JUSTICE

Law Students 

Sharing with the kind permission of David Jaffe American University Washington College of Law (USA), The 2021 Survey of Law Student Well-being, ‘It’s Okay to Not be Okay’ found that, “The mental health of today's college students and substance use among college students have increasingly become topics of concern. A report published in Spring 2021 noted that almost 40% of the over 33,000 students who participated in a study in Fall 2020 screened positive for depression and that 13% reported thoughts of suicide…35% of respondents engaged in binge drinking two or more times in the prior two weeks and that 21% used street drugs in the prior 30 days (primarily marijuana)”. 

Lawyers

Lawyers are also struggling. UK’s Law Care’s ‘Life in the Law’ Survey (2025) (p15) found that, “the overall average mental wellbeing score was 11.1 with 59.1% scoring under 13. A score below 13 has been suggested as a cut-off for poor wellbeing and as an indication for further assessment for the possible presence of a mental health condition, such as depression”.

At p.25 “A majority (56.2%) said that they could see themselves leaving their current workplace within the next five years… (32.1%) could also see themselves leaving the legal sector within the next 5 years”.

In the Law Society Junior Lawyers Division ‘Resilience and Wellbeing’ Survey (2019) (p.3) “…93.5% of respondents had experienced stress in their role … (24.8%) of those respondents experiencing severe/ extreme levels of stress. It is concerning (albeit understandable given the connection between mental and physical ill-health) that 34.5% of respondents stated that work-related stress also had a negative impact on their physical health (physically sick and chest pains). It is extremely concerning that 1 in 15 junior lawyers (6.4%) have experienced suicidal thoughts…”

Clients

Across adversarial legal systems, Clients have described their experience as: “I won the battle in Court, but I lost the war - my relationship with my children was destroyed in my divorce process”; “My lawyer strung out my case costing me financially and taking my peace of mind”; “I attempted suicide after my divorce case”. 

These are only a few examples of the ways in which the current law schools, law firms and court cultures and environments and adversarial models of law practice (e.g. competition vs collaboration) are damaging the mental, emotional, physical, financial and spiritual health and wellbeing of law students, lawyers and clients alike.

THE SOLUTION: JUSTICE THAT HEALS, LAW PRACTICE WITH HEART

My personal response following my own burnout was to open the first Holistic Law firm I knew of in Gibraltar in 2013. My vision for the future of law student and lawyer well-being is that all existing holistic and therapeutic models of law practice to include my own innovative Model of Holistic Justice / Law Practice become the norm across all law schools and fields of law, globally. Here, law students’, lawyers’, judges’ and clients’ well-being are not only prioritised but the end goal. Attaining justice is framed as attaining peace within through self-care practices that restore mental health and well-being.

What I know is possible, is justice as a return to our natural states throughout the experience of the legal process, where conflicts and legal disputes are seen instead of something to fear or an obstacle to overcome, as gifts, as opportunities for a gentle intervention to heal the wounds of the past that trigger the negative behaviours that lead to the harsh and damaging circumstances of the present.

In my and other’s Holistic approaches, as law students and lawyers we can achieve a more perfect justice by first restoring harmony, ease, and balance within, so that we can better serve and hold space for our clients to awaken to and heal their own trauma, the root cause which manifests as conflict in their relationships with others- hence, legal disputes.

A more meaningful law practise grounded in values and virtues, creates a life aligned with our soul’s true purpose. Dis-ease is just a reminder that we have temporarily fallen out of our true selves. Being at ease, in health and well-being is our true nature. As lawyers we are guardians of our own and others’ well-being.

How to achieve this?

1. By creating law offices as havens where we practice self-care routines integrated into our workday, such as breathing exercises and meditation ahead of opening hours; body scans, physical yoga stretches and hydration in between client meetings; practice mindfulness at client meetings and in court; and energy cleansing rituals at the end of each workday. Investing just a few minutes at each interval changes the energy with which we show up for ourselves and our clients.

2. By designing a safe space where clients, their trauma and pain are seen, heard, and acknowledged and an opening for healing the wounds of the past that are conditioning their present difficult circumstances, is supported by healing professionals who are an integral part of the law firm team in a multi-disciplinary approach.

3. By collaborating with like-minded lawyers to guide our respective clients away from the battle fields of hostile court rooms to non-hierarchical, gentle, round table/ circle processes of dispute resolution where all may collaboratively reach agreements and all are treated with dignity, compassion, respect, empathy, and non-judgment.

4. Where ‘winning’ means law students, lawyers and clients have embarked on a journey of awakening to themselves, receive insights about the why the legal dispute emerged and are taught the tools necessary to become empowered to make better decisions about their future from a space of mental clarity and healed hearts.

My vision is that by shifting our concept of ‘law practice’ and ‘justice’ from the adversarial, dualistic approach of ‘winners and losers’ to a Holistic one of non-judgment, unity, and non-duality, we work towards outcomes where we see each other first as human beings, and remember the power of our humanity. 

To read about our Clients’ experience of a Holistic approach, see Testimonials

THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF HOLISTIC LAWYERS (USA)

Promote peaceful advocacy and Holistic legal principles. 
Encourage compassion, reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. 
Advocate the need for a humane legal process. 
Contribute to peace building at all levels. 
Enjoy the practise of law. 

Listen intentionally and deeply in order to gain complete understanding. 
Acknowledge the opportunity in conflict. 
Wholly honour and respect the dignity and integrity of each individual.