Legal well-being forum marks launch of UK-Portugal alliance
On May 7th, Morais Leitão hosted the 3rd Forum on Best Practices for Well-Being in the Legal Sector at its Lisbon office. With Iberian Lawyer as media partner, the event marked the beginning of a collaboration between the Portuguese association Direito Mental and the UK-based Mindful Business Charter (MBC), with the presence of MBC’s CEO, Richard Martin.
The gathering brought together managing partners, HR directors, and partners from leading Portuguese law firms—all members of Direito Mental—in what many consider a turning point in how well-being is approached in the legal profession. “This Forum on Best Practices for Well-Being in the Legal Sector was possibly the most impactful to date—not only because of the presence of the Mindful Business Charter’s CEO and the powerful questions he posed: Are we measuring the impact of well-being on our bottom line? Are we being bold enough in involving clients in this conversation?—but also due to the active participation of representatives from our anchor members. We left thinking: would anyone want surgery performed by a surgeon who’s been on call for 72 hours? Are we, today, considering the liability of an exhausted lawyer?” said Rita Rendeiro, president of Direito Mental.
The MBC, founded in the UK in 2018, is now adopted by over 130 organizations, including law firms, legal departments, and financial institutions. Through a set of guiding principles and practical guidelines—recently translated into Portuguese—it proposes a new approach to how legal professionals work and collaborate, emphasizing empathy, mutual respect for time, and the building of sustainable, high-performance environments.
During the Forum, Richard Martin presented the MBC model and shared the UK journey’s challenges and achievements, highlighting the importance of actively involving clients in this cultural shift. The session also featured an interactive panel with partners and HR leaders, where strategies for adapting the model to the Portuguese context and the benefits for teams and organizational structures were discussed.
“Today’s event once again reinforced the importance of promoting our teams’ well-being in all its dimensions, as well as our responsibility as leaders to uphold the principles that should guide the development of our lawyers’ careers and our relationships with clients,” said José Guerra, managing partner of CCSL, a member of Direito Mental. The Forum concluded with a clear message: well-being is no longer a side issue—it is now a matter of sustainability, leadership, and collective responsibility for the future of the legal profession.
About Direito Mental
Direito Mental, a non-profit association dedicated to integrating well-being into the strategies and organizational cultures of the legal sector, has established itself as a mobilizing force among Portugal’s top law firms. With this collaboration with MBC, it now takes a decisive step toward implementing mindful, structured practices aligned with international best practices.
Current members of Direito Mental include: Abreu Advogados, CCA Law Firm, CCSL Advogados, Cuatrecasas, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Leite Borges Law Firm, Linklaters, MFA Legal, Miranda & Associados, Morais Leitão, PAX Legal, PLMJ, Sérvulo & Associados, SPS Advogados, SRS Legal, TELLES, Uría Menéndez, Vieira de Almeida, and Novo Banco.
On the picture from left to right: Martim Krupenski, managing partner at Morais leitão and co-founder of Direito Mental; Rita Rendeiro, partner at CCSL Legal, co-founder and president at DM; Richard Martin, CEO at MBC; Raquel Sampaio, co-founder and director at DM; and Nuno Castelão, of counsel at Antas da Cunha Ecija, co-founder at DM.
