Calls to LawCare at record high last year

Lawyers' support charity LawCare dealt with a record number of calls to its helpline in 2017.

Figures released today by LawCare show that it dealt with nearly 900 calls last year, from 616 callers, an 11% increase on the number of callers in 2016. Nearly half of those looking for help cited depression (17%) or workplace stress (27%) as the reason.

Other issues included disciplinary concerns (8%), anxiety (7%), bereavement (7%) financial problems (4%) and bullying and harassment (4%). Issues which made up the remaining 33% included chronic illness, alcohol and drugs, career development problems and relationship issues.

The majority of callers to the helpline were women (65%), and 45% were trainees or had been qualified five years or fewer.

Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO of LawCare, commented: "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."

The LawCare website in the UK is https://www.lawcare.org.uk, and the helpline is at 0800 279 6888.