Firms should provide more training and counselling services related to stress, say trainees and NQs

Trainee and newly qualified solicitors think that firms should do more to provide training and support on stress at work, a survey by the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has revealed. 

The JLD conducted a survey of its trainee solicitor and newly qualified members which saw 93% of respondents admit that they had suffered stress during the last month. Some 73% of respondents also said that their firm could do more to support those of its employees experiencing stress, while the same number said that their firm did not provide any support on mental health in the workplace, or did not know if such help was available at their employer. The main stress factors that respondents highlighted were high workload, a lack of support, the demands placed on them by clients, and ineffective management. Respondents felt that firms could do more to help by providing more training, counselling services and better management.

Kayleigh Leonie, the JLD’s council member at the Law Society who commissioned the survey, said: “This survey highlights the huge pressure that junior lawyers feel as they begin their careers, and the impact of that pressure on their mental health. The JLD will be producing guidance for employers to support them with tackling stress and mental health issues affecting junior lawyers in the workplace."