\u2018Witness to endless human pain\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst part is the feeling of bearing witness to endless human pain and being powerless to help,\u201d one survey participant wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe case volume compounds this feeling, as do the patterns that one sees time and again.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than two-thirds of survey participants (67.6%) described their workload as heavy or extremely heavy.<\/p>\n
More than half (53.6%) reported that their caseload involved mainly traumatic material or traumatised clients.<\/p>\n
Nearly nine in 10 (86%) reported moderate to severe \u201cvicarious trauma\u201d, and 50.7% scored in the moderate to severe range for secondary traumatic stress levels.<\/p>\n
Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were evident in some people.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I struggle with PTSD if family violence clients have experienced a similar situation to my own,\u201d one survey participant said.<\/p>\n
Many lawyers reported symptoms of moderate, severe, or extremely severe depression (28.3%), anxiety (34.1%), and stress (30.8%).<\/p>\n
\u201cWork-related distress among lawyers is a matter of public concern,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt profoundly impacts lawyers\u2019 wellbeing and undermines the values and ethical framework of the legal system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many lawyers are thinking of giving up.<\/p>\n
The survey specifically asked lawyers whether they intended to leave the profession in the next one to four years. Close to one quarter (22.5%) indicated they were planning to do so.<\/p>\n
Others are trying to reduce their hours to cope.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have this year reduced my workload to semi-part-time to address the stress,\u201d a survey participant said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not see myself returning to full-time work in this area, and the impact of this job on my mental wellbeing and overall life satisfaction, despite now only working less than part-time, signals it is likely I need to leave this profession altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alcohol use was notably high among the surveyed lawyers, who often used it as a coping mechanism.<\/p>\n
More than half of the men (59.8%) and a higher percentage of women (67.8%) self-reported at-risk levels of alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n
The at-risk levels were measured using a points system based on the number of times a week people drink, how much they drink in a session, and how often they binge-drink.<\/p>\n
Some participants even found answering the survey questions about alcohol difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cI accept that I drink as a form of self-medication and am not proud of this. So I found the alcohol question hard\/embarrassing to answer,\u201d one wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems to be a crutch for many in the industry at the moment who drink to relax, sleep, or just stop thinking about work,\u201d another person said.<\/p>\n
Participants were not asked about drug or substance use beyond alcohol, but some reported other addictive behaviours, including smoking, gambling and food addiction.<\/p>\n
Another survey participant observed: \u201cThere are too many of my colleagues who have either died too young from illness or suffered issues with addiction, which many turn a blind eye to, that many leave the law simply because of being so disillusioned with the system. We can do much better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Law in Distress project identified several priorities for action.<\/p>\n
Former Crown prosecutor Georgina Patel was the lead researcher on the Law in Distress report.<\/p>\n
These included driving cultural and leadership change across the profession to address work-related distress and indirect trauma; increased access to external support; and integrating \u201ctrauma-informed principles\u201d into legal education, continuing professional development, and organisational policy.<\/p>\n
It said justice system resourcing and workloads should be reformed to reduce moral distress and attrition, particularly in legal aid and family and criminal law.<\/p>\n
It also called for raised awareness about the requirement to manage psychosocial risks at work under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis research shows that meaningful change requires systemic and cultural transformation, supported by evidence, collaboration, and investment,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA trauma-informed, well-supported legal profession is essential to maintaining justice for all New Zealanders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report said there were some differences in the needs of different lawyers, but there are also many similarities.<\/p>\n
\u201cAction is required to address the perilous state of the justice system for all New Zealanders, where a vital part of its operation, legal practitioners, are so highly concerned about what is occurring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 379 practitioners who answered the survey provided a representative sample of New Zealand\u2019s 18,000-strong legal fraternity.<\/p>\n
In addition to lead author Georgina Patel, a former Crown prosecutor, its researchers included Katey Thom, Kate Diesfeld, Nick Garrett, Brian McKenna, Anja Vorster, Madeline Hayward and Khylee Quince.<\/p>\n
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME\u2019s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke\u2019s Bay. <\/p>\n