One in eight barristers are emotionally exhausted and more than half don’t sleep properly, a survey by the UK Bar Council has found.
Along with the financial pressures and high expectations, a lack of leadership and mentoring were listed as some of the main factors causing stress, with half of the respondents saying they felt disengaged at work.
The survey also found that while formal and informal mentoring was shown to reduce stress, many barristers were reluctant to seek help because of the stigma around stress at the Bar, the Law Gazette reported.
Fiona McLeod SC, president of the
Australian Bar Association, said that Australian barristers face the same risks to their wellbeing.
“Studies have shown the prevalence of mental health issues across the legal community from law students to the judiciary. Many in the legal profession deal with people going through great stress and trauma on a daily basis,” she said. “Barristers in particular, with their direct involvement in litigation, can face significant pressures. Coping with this and the demands of practice on top of life's usual challenges can take its toll.”
NSW Bar Association president Jane Needham SC, said that a number of measures have been adopted in order to improve the wellbeing of the state’s barristers.
“We recognise that practice at the NSW Bar is demanding and places pressures on the professional and personal lives of our members,” she said. “For that reason, the Bar Association has implemented a number of programs which are aimed at the wellbeing of those practising at the NSW Bar. We established BarCare, an independent professional counselling service, a number of years ago.”
BarCare assists members with stress related problems and provides access to a wide range of professionals.
“In addition, we provide a variety of other services to our members ranging from lunchtime yoga classes to seminars for our members on stress management and related issues,” said Needham. “The Bar Council has established a specific Health and Wellbeing Committee to consider further initiatives aimed at the welfare of our members in this regard.”
