Details
Please join us for this People in Law webinar on addiction, problematic substance use and hidden struggle in legal workplaces.
In this session, Steven McCann, Founder and Director of MCG Consulting, and Rebecca Banks, MCG Advisory Board Member and legal professional, will explore how addiction and related coping behaviours can show up in high pressure legal environments, what often sits beneath performance, conduct and wellbeing concerns, and what HR and People leaders can do to respond earlier, more confidently and more humanely.
The session will cover:
• Why this conversation is rising up the agenda in law, including what we are seeing through our work with law firms, law societies, regulators and professional bodies.
• How addiction, problematic substance use and other coping behaviours can remain hidden in legal workplaces, often behind high performance, overwork and silence.
• The role of stigma, fear and professional consequences in shaping disclosure and help-seeking.
• Practical steps HR and People leaders can take, including early conversations, signposting, manager confidence and safer workplace culture.
• Time for questions and reflections from the group.
About the speakers
Steven McCann is the Founder and Director of MCG Consulting, a UK-based consultancy specialising in substance use awareness, recovery-informed culture and mentoring within the legal and financial services sectors.
He works with major City law firms, regulators and financial institutions to address substance use as a leadership, governance and culture issue rather than a peripheral wellbeing topic. His clients include leading international firms and institutions, and he has delivered programmes at the Bank of England and at the Law Society of Scotland Annual Conference.
Steven’s work has been published by The Law Gazette, LawCare and the Legal Services Board. MCG Consulting’s work also featured in Financial News in February 2026 and again in a front-page long read at the end of April 2026. He sits on the Steering Committee of This Is Me, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal mental health initiative, and serves as Deputy Chair of the national mentoring charity ReachOut.
Drawing on lived experience of addiction and long-term recovery, he supports organisations to build psychologically safe environments where people can seek support early, reduce risk and sustain high performance.
Rebecca Banks is an MCG Advisory Board Member, speaker and legal professional. She brings together lived experience of addiction and recovery with a professional background in law and the charity sector.
During the pandemic, she worked in frontline addiction services and was recognised with a Making a Difference in the Pandemic award in 2021. She now works within a purpose-driven B Corp law firm, focusing on mental health and support for the not-for-profit sector.
Rebecca offers a grounded and practical perspective on addiction, stigma and inclusion within professional workplaces, helping audiences understand both the human and organisational dimensions of recovery.
Free for members, £50 +VAT for non-members.
Date & Time
Thu, 4th June 2026
13:30 – 14:30
Location
Online, Zoom link to be shared once you have registered
— Share
