A junior lawyer with a large Australian firm has slammed his employer's and the profession's support schemes as a "hazardous smokescreen" which contributed to his breakdown.
The unidentified solicitor told Lawyers Weekly that he became depressed and exhausted after working 14 hour days. But he felt unable to turn to his firm because he was convinced that any requests for help would be perceived as weakness and affect his career prospects. His impression was drilled home by HR policies completely out of touch with what was demanded by partners, consisting of helpful tips like "take a swim in the ocean" and "cook a meal with your family".
When, battling suicidal thoughts, he turned to outside help and called the Lawyers Assistance Program hotline (set up by the NSW Law Society), no-one picked up, despite repeat calls. An email also received no reply. After deciding to "bottle things even tighter so nobody would need to know what was really going on" he suffered a breakdown, and was sectioned for his own safety.
Now in recovery, he has accused big firms of trading on the good press garnered from announcing work/life initiatives which they never properly implement. And he has blasted the "the cheap façade" of mental health assistance programs which "continue to place people at risk for as long as the calls of suicidal lawyers ring out". NSW Law Society president John Dobson insisted that the society "does everything possible to support the mental health and wellbeing of its members", although the multiple unanswered calls suffered by Lawyer X suggest "everything possible" isn't nearly enough.
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The unidentified solicitor told Lawyers Weekly that he became depressed and exhausted after working 14 hour days. But he felt unable to turn to his firm because he was convinced that any requests for help would be perceived as weakness and affect his career prospects. His impression was drilled home by HR policies completely out of touch with what was demanded by partners, consisting of helpful tips like "take a swim in the ocean" and "cook a meal with your family".
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A lawyer enjoys a meal with his family yesterday |
When, battling suicidal thoughts, he turned to outside help and called the Lawyers Assistance Program hotline (set up by the NSW Law Society), no-one picked up, despite repeat calls. An email also received no reply. After deciding to "bottle things even tighter so nobody would need to know what was really going on" he suffered a breakdown, and was sectioned for his own safety.
Now in recovery, he has accused big firms of trading on the good press garnered from announcing work/life initiatives which they never properly implement. And he has blasted the "the cheap façade" of mental health assistance programs which "continue to place people at risk for as long as the calls of suicidal lawyers ring out". NSW Law Society president John Dobson insisted that the society "does everything possible to support the mental health and wellbeing of its members", although the multiple unanswered calls suffered by Lawyer X suggest "everything possible" isn't nearly enough.