Poor physical and mental health are no longer accepted as “just how things are” at law firms, junior lawyers have said.
A report published yesterday said that law firm bosses must take junior lawyers’ concerns over anxiety and mental health as seriously as a “core business” issue. Richard Collier, a professor of law at Newcastle University, interviewed 12 solicitors at a range of law firms. He found that debt, competition, high and unpredictable workloads as well as long hours, lack of autonomy and concerns linked to the greater use of technology fuelled anxiety.
A recent survey from the junior lawyers division of the Law Society, the body that represents solicitors in England and Wales, found high levels of stress and anxiety. Among the 1,803 who