Career concerns leap up list of LawCare calls
A "huge leap" in the number of legal professionals seeking help over career concerns has been reported by LawCare as it issued its contact figures for 2022.
The mental health charity for legal professionals in the UK said that nearly a quarter (22%) of people who contacted it for support last year were primarily concerned about their career in the law, compared with just over 8% in 2021.
For the first time, the number of people with career concerns equalled the number of legal professionals seeking help because of stress (also 22%). Anxiety accounted for a further 12% of contacts, and depression 8%; 7.5% mentioned lack of supervision as a problem in addition to their main issue.
Most, though not all, of people getting in touch were at or near the beginning of their careers – of those who revealed what stage they were at, 60% of the people who contacted LawCare for support were trainees/pupils or had been qualified less than five years. The figure is very similar to the previous year, which suggests to LawCare that junior legal professionals are still not getting the emotional support they need in their workplace. Of the remainder, 25% were aged 46-60, and 9% 61+.
"This willingness to question their life in the law may be partly a response to the pandemic", LawCare chief executive Elizabeth Rimmer commented. "Legal professionals could be reflecting on what they want from life and work and be less willing to stay in careers or workplaces that don’t meet their needs and expectations and could be undermining their mental health.
"There were a wide range of career concerns raised, from struggles with training to become a lawyer to wanting to retire early. We are also hearing from people who don’t see law as a lifelong career. We anticipate that in 2023 the number of people contacting us with career concerns may grow as the tough economic climate takes its toll."
The charity also saw a 3% increase in the percentage of contacts from men, which reflected the impact of its report and work during 2022 to encourage more men in law to seek support for their mental health. However women contacts still outnumbered men by nearly two to one.
Overall, LawCare’s support service was contacted 849 times for support in 2022 (an increase of 18 from 2021), by 583 individuals. Of these, 383 were by phone, the average call taking 26 minutes, with the longest an hour and 33 minutes. There were also 127 contacts by email and 73 by webchat. Sixty people were provided with ongoing support, and 20 with additional counselling.
In addition to speaking at 152 events and training presentations during the year, LawCare held its inaugural online conference, "Building a Better Life in the Law", attended by 129 people from the UK and overseas.
During the year, funders and supporters donated a total of £482,176. LawCare spends 91p in every £1 on providing support, prevention and education.