A support service for lawyers suffering emotional distress has experienced its second busiest year since opening.
LawCare, which offers support and advice to lawyers and legal staff, opened 517 new case files in 2010, and handled an additional 1,000 calls relating to ongoing cases. Staff reported that last year’s calls were more complex and time-consuming than in previous years.
However, concerns relating to the economic downturn are starting to tail off. Only 18% of calls last year concerned redundancy, business failure or other financial issues, compared with more than a quarter in 2009 and the latter part of 2008.
Stress accounted for three-quarters of all calls, mainly due to disciplinary proceedings, financial problems, bullying, redundancy, ethical issues and bereavement.
Lawyers who identified as suffering from clinical depression accounted for 12% of calls. Only 7% of callers reported alcohol abuse problems, and only three callers said they had issues with drug abuse.
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