JLD surveys junior lawyers’ mental health as concerns mount over toll of high-pressure culture and dwindling administrative support at law firms
updated on 05 January 2018
Junior lawyers across the legal profession are to be asked whether they have suffered from work-related mental health issues in the last 12 months, after the same survey last year found that one in four rated their stress levels as ‘severe’.
The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) is set to distribute its questionnaire to some 56,000 junior lawyers across the country this month. As the Law Gazette reports, last year’s JLD questionnaire found that 90% of respondents were experiencing stress in their role, while 26% said that their stress was severe/extreme. It seems that the pressure on law firms to reduce costs over the last decade since the financial crisis has taken its toll on many lawyers, with higher targets and work volumes – and in some cases a decrease in administrative support – surely contributing to higher stress. Many junior fee earners are now expected to handle vast caseloads and are put under regular pressure by their superiors about the progress of work.
Kayleigh Leonie, the Law Society council member for junior lawyers, said the JLD survey aims to keep track of and raise awareness about the issue. She said: “The JLD is concerned about the high levels of stress and the number of individuals experiencing mental health problems in the profession.”
