How was your day?
Get it off your chest.
Lawyers, barristers, judges, tribunal members, court and registry staff, legal aid workers and interpreters. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Brief is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any firm, court, tribunal or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step out of the court or office for a few minutes if you can. Breathe. You're allowed to stop.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If someone threatened you
It isn't part of the job. Tell your manager, court security or registry, and report it. Contact police if you're worried for your safety.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add a colleague, a mentor or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your manager, partner or principal registrar, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of the day. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at the court or office.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
About the threat
Report it to your manager or court security, and contact police if you're worried. You don't have to manage it alone.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or court security.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you can, leave the brief at the office tonight and get some sleep.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Bearing witness to other people's worst days takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Hearing trauma secondhand
- Evidence, statements and clients' stories of violence, abuse and loss affect you. It's called vicarious trauma.
- Regular debriefing helps. Ask for it.
- Blue Knot (1300 657 380) supports people affected by trauma, and those supporting them.
Graphic evidence
- Limit how often you look. Read descriptions before viewing images.
- Take breaks, and don't review it before bed.
- Tell someone if a case is getting to you.
A bad outcome
- Losing a case, or a decision that sends someone back to danger, is heavy.
- You did your job. The outcome is not on you alone.
- Talk it through with a colleague.
Hours and billable targets
- Notice if long hours have become every week.
- Too much work is a recognised work health and safety hazard.
- Protect sleep and leave.
Difficult and distressed clients
- Clients in crisis can be angry, desperate or threatening.
- You don't have to take abuse.
- Report threats and get support.
Interpreters
- Interpreting trauma in the first person, 'I was hurt', is especially heavy.
- Debrief after hard sessions.
- Ask for breaks and rotation on long matters.
When it doesn't feel safe to say you're struggling
- Legal culture can make asking for help feel risky.
- NSW solicitors can use the confidential Solicitor Outreach Service (1800 592 296).
- Seeking help early is responsible practice.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next matter
- Images or testimony coming back
- Feeling numb or cynical
- Drinking more to switch off
- Pulling back from people
Vicarious trauma and burnout are common in legal work. They're normal responses, not a weakness.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist. NSW solicitors can use the confidential Solicitor Outreach Service on 1800 592 296.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your firm, court or tribunal can add its own EAP and wellbeing numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called. Courts, tribunals and most firms have one.
- Solicitor Outreach Service. Confidential counselling for NSW solicitors, 1800 592 296.
- Your professional association. Bar associations and interpreter associations have member support.
- A mentor outside your firm or court.
- Your union. Court and tribunal staff can contact PSA CPSU NSW (1800 772 679).
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Seeking help is responsible practice, not a weakness.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard day. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"A matter I worked on is still with me."
"I'm not coping with the hours."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in chambers or on the train home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Brief
Unladen™ Brief is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any firm, court, tribunal or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Brief that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026