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Support for lawyers

A few stakeholders were of the opinion that people with a mental illness can place great emotional demands on legal service providers.¹⁴⁸ These same stakeholders commented that the personal circumstances of some of their clients can be quite distressing to listen to, and that legal service providers do not usually have the training to cope with this. In addition, some mentally ill clients can be quite demanding and time-intensive, requiring an unusual amount of contact and reassurance. This can lead to lawyers reaching “burn-out” with a particular client, and therefore having to refer them on to another lawyer.¹⁴⁹

A case manager commented on the need for support services for legal service providers who work with clients with a mental illness, so that they are better able to look after themselves as well as their clients.¹⁵⁰