LawCare calls rise again in 2016

The number of legal professionals calling the LawCare helpline in 2016 rose by a further 12% compared with the previous year, the support charity reported today.

A total of 555 individuals made use of the service, up from 496 in 2015, making a total of 912 calls compared with 907 in 2015. The top two most common reasons for calls remained the same – stress was the issue in 38% of calls (37% in 2015) and depression in 12% (11% in 2015).

The year saw a jump in the number of calls about career development, up from 4% to 11% percent, while disciplinary issues fell from 12% to 10%. Other main reasons for calls were bullying and harassment (7%, down from 9%), financial problems (6%, up from 5%), alcohol-related issues (3%, down from 5%), and ethical issues (3%, down from 4%). Other matters including bereavement, drugs, relationship issues and chronic illness were at 10%, down from 13%).

Women made 62% of calls, and men 38%, a slightly lower gap than the 65%-35% split in 2015.

“What the increase in calls to the helpline shows is that more people are aware of LawCare and the specialist support we offer across the legal profession”, chief executive Elizabeth Rimmer commented. “We are not surprised that stress is still the number one reason for calls: this can be work-related, or due to personal issues.

“We continue to raise awareness about what we provide, and the value of our service, to all sectors of the legal community. We want to encourage people in the legal profession to talk about their mental health and wellbeing, so we can tackle the stigma associated with it, particularly in the workplace.”