Number of lawyers calling mental health helpline rises

The charity dealt with nearly 900 calls in 2017 from 616 callers, an 11 per cent increase on the number of callers in 2016. Nearly half of the solicitors and barristers who called in for help cited depression (17 per cent) and workplace stress (27 per cent) as the reason.

Eight per cent of callers were Scottish solicitors, the same proportion as in 2015 and 2016. The percentage of Scottish trainees / students calling rose by one per cent over the previous year.

Other issues included disciplinary concerns (eight per cent), anxiety (seven per cent), bereavement (seven per cent) financial problems (four per cent) and bullying and harassment (four per cent).

Issues which made up the remaining 33 per cent included chronic illness, alcohol and drugs, career development problems and relationship issues. The majority of callers to the helpline were women (65 per cent) and 45 per cent were trainees or had been qualified for five years or fewer.

Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO of LawCare, said: “These figures show that more lawyers are willing to come forward and ask for help. We are working with our partners across the legal community to raise awareness about why mental health matters.

“Law can be a pressured industry to work in with long hours and a heavy workload which can lead to stress and mental health issues.

“LawCare is here for all legal professionals through our helpline, we offer one-on-one peer support and we also work with employers to promote wellbeing at work. We would encourage the legal community not to stay silent and to contact us for support if needed.”