The Law School Game: Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to Explore the Influence of Law School Environments Upon Law Student Wellbeing

Law students display poor rates of wellbeing and the importance of developing effective strategies to support law students is well recognised. The current study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 students from a top-ranking Australian law school to elucidate the lived experiences of law students and the ways that law school environments shape wellbeing. A reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts produced four themes that frame the law school experience as a game to be played and won: 1) ‘Pressure to play the game’: Hyper-competitive environments and the law student experience, 2) ‘Rules of the game’: Academic expectations as both unachievable and unclear, 3) ‘Not a level playing field’: Inequities and ‘otherness’ in the law school context, and 4) ‘Finding your team’: Restorative impact of togetherness and support. The implications of these themes for developing student-centred initiatives to support law student wellbeing are discussed.