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What next for TJMF, with the Jepsons stepping down?
Lawyers Weekly spoke to a number of the board members of the Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation (TJMF) about future direction, and reflections on the legacy to date.
Jerome Doraisamy
Last week, Marie and George Jepson announced they would be stepping down from their involvement with TJMF, and handing over the leadership to the board.
The Jepsons, who founded TJMF in honour of their late son Tristan, have dedicated 14 years to the cause of combating levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression and suicide ideation in the legal profession in Australia.
Musing about her time as executive director of TJMF, Ms Jepson said: “When our son Tristan took his own life, we had no inkling where this journey would lead.”
The full-time role of running the foundation has “taken its toll” on her, she noted, especially with a learning curve that appeared vertical at times.
Canon Australia chief legal counsel and TJMF board member David Field said he had long felt Marie could be forgiven for concluding the culture of law had contributed to the losing of her son, and blaming the profession for its entrenched challenges and issues.
“But the Jepsons’ response to losing Tristan wasn’t to turn around and blame the profession, it was to say, ‘We’ll help you fix the problem’, which was a very generous and remarkable thing for them to have done,” he said.
“That’s been difficult and challenging for them over a long period of time, trying to capture the attention of the legal profession and its leaders, and so it’s been a hard slog in a lot of ways, and I think they’ve achieved a lot more than they would give themselves credit for.”
Fellow board member and DLA Piper partner Melinda Upton agreed, saying the legal profession has benefited immensely from the personal dedication of the Jepsons.
“Without the Foundation, I don’t believe we would have made so many positive improvements within the industry we have to date,” she said.
“We feel greatly encouraged that, though there is certainly much more work ahead, the legal profession of today is a vastly more supportive and educated environment than it was 10 years ago.”
Looking ahead, the refreshed board is determined to continue existing initiatives, including promotion of the Best Practice Guidelines, annual lecture series, bolstering online resources and facilitating access to public speakers.
“Our objective is to widen the scope of structural and social change in our workplaces,” Ms Upton said.
“We have now commenced on a period of review and development to determine which additional activities we believe will have the biggest impact on the future of the legal profession.”
“We need to focus on how we are going to make it all sustainable, do the small things well, and keep it all going in the most meaningful way possible,” Mr Field added.
The transition is a “milestone event”, board member and Australian Bar Association CEO Cindy Penrose proclaimed, highlighting the significant positive change inspired by TJMF over the years.
“The issue of psychological workplace health and safety and wellbeing is woven into the fabric of law firms, government, corporations, the bar, judiciary and the courts,” she said.
“We feel privileged to be the custodians of the Foundation [moving forward, and] we will strive to lead and support psychological health and wellbeing for all of our current and future colleagues.”
And there is much to be optimistic about, Ms Upton said.
“The leaders and lawyers I speak to are committed as ever to deepen our shared understanding about how to address mental wellbeing in our professional environment,” she said.
“We are also seeing an increasingly open dialogue with our clients, as they too wish to promote long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial adviser relationships.”
Such positive change consistently served Ms Jepson in inspiring her continued work for TJMF.
“I have been encouraged to keep going many times by the personal stories of the value to individuals of the changes being made with the support of the Foundation and the potential for further change,” Ms Jepson said, reflecting on the journey.
“In my view, we have reached a tipping point with 200 signatories and a well stream of support across Australia to enable George and me to catch our breath and over the next few months support the transition.”
Looking to the future, responsibility lies with the revamped board and the profession it serves.
Mr Field said: “We’ve been incredibly lucky to have [the Jepsons] spend time on our problems, and now they should focus on what they want to do next and their own sustainability.”
“It was always the intention to pass the baton back, and that’s what they’re doing,” he concluded.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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