LawCare: support for lawyers

LawCare is a registered charity providing information and support to legal professionals working or training throughout the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Jersey. Since we were founded in 1997, we have helped thousands of lawyers and support staff with work-related issues including stress, disputes with colleagues and alcohol misuse.

We support all branches of the legal profession and we also offer advice to friends and families. We are here to help the legal community cope with the increasing pressures they face, any of which could adversely affect work performance and family life. There are probably very few lawyers who have not had some experience of what it can be like when you or a colleague feels that work is getting to you.

Lawyers are expected to cope with the demands of the job and not coping can be seen as a sign of weakness.  Lawyers often believe that they should be able to handle their own problems, and because they spend so much time resolving other people’s problems, they can find it difficult to acknowledge that they themselves may need help. They can, however, find it easier to take this step with another lawyer, which is where LawCare comes in. Our staff and volunteers have experience of practicing law.

Our key service is our helpline, which provides a listening ear 365 days a year. Those taking calls on the helpline have first-hand experience of the demands faced by legal professionals today. Our free helpline is impartial, completely confidential and independent of the United Kingdom’s legal institutions.

Last year, 75% of our callers reported stress as the main reason for calling, with increased workloads, disciplinary issues and bullying being the main causes of this. Our helpline offers the chance to talk your problem through – it really does help to get things off our chest, and just communicating with someone who listens and understands can clarify the way forward. Even if a solution doesn’t immediately present itself, talking about it can be very cathartic. Many of our callers say they need no follow-up support; the talk on the helpline has helped them decide what to do.

We provide reassurance. In all the years we have been operating; we have heard most things before. We can also offer extra support and can put callers in touch with a LawCare supporter. These are fellow lawyers who have experienced and overcome difficulties. They offer support to others on a one-to-one basis for as long as this is needed. We signpost callers to other support and benevolent agencies and we keep a list of counsellors and therapists with particular expertise in working with lawyers. Our website provides an overview of the support available and our range of helpful factsheets can be found there for download. We also provide training and education on wellbeing.

If you are concerned about something no matter how big or small, get in touch - we are here to help.

Elizabeth Rimmer is the chief executive of LawCare. If you are feeling stressed or are facing another problem in your work, study or family life, you can call LawCare’s helpline on 0800 279 6888, or visit www.lawcare.org.uk.