96% of the profession complain of stress

In a damning indictment of the profession, 96% of lawyers say that they are suffering sufficient stress to impact on their health.

The Law Society has published a report based on interviews with 1,517 solicitors. Nearly all the respondents - 96% - reported ‘negative stress', when stress levels impact on day-to-day life and on-going health. And 19% of those surveyed said that they suffered from severe or extreme stress, up from 16% the previous year. At the same time, 85% of respondents reported that they were generally in good or very good health. So at least 4% of the profession would appear to be suffering from extreme stress but consider themselves to be perfectly healthy regardless. Presumably it is now so endemic within the profession that it's almost taken for granted.

This is not normal

The survey also found that older lawyers took less sick leave than their younger colleagues. 39% of those aged under 30 had taken some time off sick, compared with 25% of lawyers aged 41 and over. Which looks like classic survivorship bias. Those left plugging away in their 40s, 50s and 60s having convinced themselves that the migraines, diarrhoea, facial numbness and constant smell of smoke are just drafting weaknesses leaving the body.

Readers who are suffering from stress can contact LawCare on 0800 279 6888. Those with financial problems can contact the Solicitors Benevolent Association on 020 8675 6440. Those who want to provide gossip can contact RollOnFriday. Those who want to feel loved can contact the Rhinestone Rambler in the second cubicle of the fourth floor loos at midnight on Tuesdays.

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Comments

My wife and I, both financial services litigators at large national firms, have suffered from stress within the last year. By stress I mean sleepless nights, severe head-aches, heart palpitations and a general feeling of never being able to reach the top of a to-do list. However, we both feel as though it's just a part of our jobs and that we have no choice but to deal with it. This is through no fault of the firms we work at, but rather the mentality of the profession as a whole. Basically, if you want to make it in this game, you have to get on and deal with these sort of things, work stupid hours and deal with unsympathetic clients. That said, show me a well paid and respectable job that doesn't involve a level of hard work and stress...

Agree with the other comment. Similar at my firm.

In 2009, when the recession added extra pressure to already stressed solicitors, over a quarter of my department were signed off with stress related illness and there were 2 suicide attempts. No job is worth that.

Lawyers bring it on themselves. They sell-out to a pyramid structure that will see most of them kicked-out and then undermine each other at every chance. They make it easy for others to take advantage of the resulting fear and insecurity.