A representative of junior lawyers has rejected the attitude of some in the profession that young entrants should put up with toxic working conditions.

Victoria Zinzan, a member of the Junior Solicitor Network Advisory Committee, said there needed to be a balance struck between growing a thick skin to survive and thrive in the law, and being subject to the type of conditions that cause mental health breakdowns.

Zinzan was speaking at the Law Society’s risk and compliance conference on a panel about workplace culture and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's increasing involvement.

The regulator carried out a thematic review into workplace culture last year and earlier this month said it would pursue any firm creating a ‘pervasive toxic culture’ through the disciplinary process and into the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

Zinzan was asked specifically whether junior lawyers should effectively ‘get on with it’ and accept that difficult working conditions were part of starting out in the profession.

She said there was a pre-conception that entering the profession juniors had to be available 24/7, had to impress their supervisor and could never say they were working at capacity.

Victoria-Zinzan

Zinzan: Strong difference between working hard and burning out

‘There is a burnout crisis we are starting to feel,’ she said. ‘Burnout is not just feeling stressed but something that needs to be taken extremely seriously. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Sometimes in our profession it is a bit taboo to say we are not feeling good mentally. We are supposed to be lawyers and this is what we signed up for.’

She continued: ‘Just because we are in a hard profession that doesn’t mean it is acceptable to burn out and just get on with it. That is not an attitude anyone should have – anyone who does have that attitude needs to take a step back and understand the reality. There is a strong difference between working hard and burning out and almost killing yourself.’

Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of legal mental health charity LawCare, added that because this profession is regarded as tough that did not mean it has to be a toxic work environment.

‘It is incumbent on lawyers to improve the working practice so it is not like this in the future,’ said Rimmer. ‘People won’t sign up to come into the profession. There may be that [get on with it] attitude that is pervasive but we are not coming into a combat situation and we shouldn’t need a hard hat to work in the industry.’

 

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