Support models in UK law schools almost exclusively cater to undergraduate students, leaving law doctoral researchers to engage with institutional support systems that fail to meet their mental and emotional support needs. This piece highlights the void of support for law doctoral researchers by appreciating their interwoven identities and their concomitant support needs. Law doctoral researchers are uniquely situated, navigating competing pressures to create original research, cultivating academic identities, and succeeding in the academy. The lack of support was further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, where universities overwhelmingly focused on undergraduate law students, leaving law doctoral researchers increasingly isolated. Law doctoral researchers are therefore forced to create informal solutions to address their mental and emotional support needs. In the pandemic, these support networks either adapted or perished. We envision these networks as a web of support, strengthened by connection and community, yet delicate due to the precariousness of the law doctoral researcher’s position and the uncertainty of a secure academic future. By illuminating the often-overshadowed aspects of the law doctoral journey, we unpack some of the core mental and emotional strains and the resulting informal support mechanisms. We also recommend further research trajectories in this under-researched area of legal education.
Mazhar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.