Career and work
Patience qualified as a solicitor in 1980 and practiced for about 35 years. His career included general and commercial law, private client work, agricultural property, landed estates, and farm finance. [1]
He was Senior Partner at Patience Clarke & Burrowes in Shrewsbury before moving into larger commercial practices, later working as a consultant in a national real estate practice. He also served as a visiting lecturer at Harper Adams University College. [3][1][2]
What has been publicly discussed
- Patience has publicly identified himself as living with bipolar disorder. He has described experiencing bipolar episodes throughout his legal career and has written openly about the condition through LawCare. [1]
- Patience has described both manic and depressive episodes across his life. During mania, he experienced periods of unusually high energy; during depression, he described feeling completely disoriented and unable to understand the passage of time for months. [1]
- He has been sectioned and admitted to hospital four times, including twice while he was working and twice after redundancies. During one severe depressive episode, he became suicidal and was admitted under the Mental Health Act. [1]
- Patience has described receiving psychiatric medication, therapy, regular blood tests, and ongoing care from doctors and consultants. During his first hospitalization, he was treated with chlorpromazine and four sessions of ECT; he later said that medication helped stabilize his moods and improve his sleep. [1]
- In later years, he has continued taking medication, including Depakote, while also describing walking, exercise, relaxation techniques, and support from a key worker as helpful parts of managing his health. [1]
- After later hospitalizations and redundancy, Patience gradually moved away from full-time legal practice and into lower-pressure part-time work, including gardening and charity work. He has said that reducing work-related pressure helped him regain stability. [1]
- He has described eventually becoming well enough to turn down an offer of further part-time legal consultancy. [1]
- As he recovered from a later hospitalization, Patience joined the committee of his local Mind group and then became involved with its regional forum. [1]
- He has also been involved with LawCare since its early years and now serves as a peer supporter, using his own experience to support other people in the legal profession who are struggling. Patience has said that much has changed around mental health over recent decades, but that stigma remains, particularly around conditions such as bipolar disorder. [1]
“In moments of depression, however, it was like being in a black, velvet clad, and lead-lined box.”
— Gavin Patience [1]
Sources and other resourcesExpand to view the sources used in this profile and resources to learn more.
Sources used for this profile
The following sources contain information that supports the claims made on this page.
LawCare“Bipolar and me” A detailed first-person account by Patience covering his legal career, bipolar episodes, psychiatric admissions, mania and depression, ECT, medication, recovery, career changes, Mind involvement, and work as a LawCare peer supporter.
Law Gazette“Moving on” Contemporary legal-industry reporting confirming Patience’s senior-partner role at Patience Clarke & Burrowes.
Reaseheath CollegeRegister of Corporation Members’ Interests An institutional record identifying Patience as a visiting lecturer at Harper Adams University College and documenting professional memberships.
Learn more
Recommended books and other resources about Gavin Patience and their experiences.