The Law Society is bringing in new measures to help deal with the record number of solicitors facing financial and personal troubles.

Last month two more guidance officers on two-year contracts were recruited to the Society's professional ethics unit to meet this year's predicted 53,000 enquiries, and this week the standards and guidance committee will be asked to approve the appointment of a part-time counsellor for solicitors with alcohol-related problems.Bronwen Still, head of guidance at the unit, predicts the number of solicitors asking for help or guidance on a variety of professional and personal problems will continue to grow.'These are not problems which are going to go away,' says Ms Still.

'Ways are going to have to be found to help cope with them or recognise them sooner.'Ms Still says the alcohol abuse initiative may be 'widened' to include stress, gambling and other addictions.

This type of work would consist of two parts.

The first would be education, making the profession aware of these dangers, and the second would be individual, practical help.Law Society President Charles Elly has made a point of becoming involved in moves to combat the problem of alcoholism, and made a fact-finding visit to Canada to see how lawyers there deal with the problem.

Ms Still says: 'In Canada and the States I do not think the problem is any worse, but they are much more advanced in the way they deal with it.'Here, apart from the Lawyers Support Group, where recovered or recovering alcoholic lawyers offer help, the problem is virtually ignored.

'It tends to be something that is swept under the carpet,' says Ms Still.The visit was sponsored by the Solicitors Assistance Scheme - an independent, confidential service which provides a vital lifeline to solicitors who find themselves in personal or financial difficulties.Although the SAS was established as long ago as 1972, it is only in recent years that it has been able to offer specialist and widespread help.

'20 years ago there were not many specialist skills required, it was used as a listening ear or a sounding board,' says Ms Still.

'It is noticeable that the pressures on people are now far greater in practice than they were ten or 20 years ago.

Pressures are com ing from all sides.' However, she adds: 'If there was a boom period then these problems might melt away.

But that seems unlikely.'With the savage effects of the recession hitting solicitors' businesses, more and more expert financial counselling has been required.

Although the SAS is an independent service, troubled solicitors first make contact via the Law Society, usually after seeing the SOS advertisement in the Gazette.Susannah Lewis is responsible for fielding many of the calls.

She does not believe solicitors are put off by first having to make contact with the scheme through the Law Society.

'It has always been made clear that it is an independent service, and we do not accept volunteers who hold posts in the Law Society.' But occasionally, she concedes, a solicitor will ring up enquiring on behalf of a 'friend', whom she suspects might be the caller himself.There are just over 100 solicitors who are voluntary members of the scheme, giving their time freely.

Many are recommended by local law societies because they have counselling qualifications, are insolvency practitioners or disciplinary tribunal specialists.

Some have even had experience working for the Solicitors Complaints Bureau.'When it first started,' says Ms Lewis, 'it was just a little pastoral scheme with an elder statesman giving help to up and coming solicitors.'The scheme works because it can put callers in touch with the most appropriate advisers on a confidential basis almost anywhere in the country.

'Today there are a lot more financial problems out there, with more squabbling in partnerships because there is less money to go round,' adds Ms Lewis.Often solicitors contact the scheme because they have received a letter from the Solicitors Complaints Bureau.

'They are worried sick and they just want someone to talk to,' says Ms Lewis.

'It can be very lonely when you get a letter from the bureau.'To protect the anonymity of the caller they can be put in touch with SAS members outside their local areas.

One of the reasons for its success is the invaluable voluntary contributions made to the scheme by successful and respected solicitors.

One of these is David Freeman, founder of the City firm DJ Freeman.

Mr Freeman built his practice from a one-man band in 1952 to the 300-strong commercial practice it is today.

The firm fully supports his work with the scheme.

In his first year with the SAS, Mr Freeman, who now works as a consultant to DJ Freeman, has counselled and advised 30 solicitors, mostly in face-to-face meetings.Mr Freeman says: 'I felt I could help these people.

There was a job to be done and I had the experience to do it.' He agrees that the lingering effects of the recession are responsible for the continuing high numbers of solicitors facing bankruptcy on the high street.However, the difficulties solicitors find themselves in have usually built up over a long time, and solicitors only contact the SAS when they can ignore them no longer.

This means Mr Freeman and the other members have to untangle some very complex situations.Mr Freeman was recently asked to help a junior partner who had been taken into partnership without being told of a substantial negligence claim made against the firm.

Others have involved solicitors not happy about the way their own firms have been handling disclosure procedures.

'My advice was not to rock the ship but to make sure that the disclosure was dealt with thoroughly and properly vis---vis the courts,' says Mr Freeman.

He says he has to be 'fairly tough' in the way he gives his advice to make sure that people are not involved in any 'impropriety'.In another case he spent three hours with three partners threatened with bankruptcy, going through their accounts, and managed to show them a way to get back on their feet.

Sometimes, he says, it is simply a question of presenting a situation in the best possible light.

'Normally it is not as bad as people think.'Mr Freeman believes he has been able to 'improve the situation' in most of his cases but adds: 'It is difficult to succeed where there has been complete failure.'What is evident in nearly all the cases requiring the help of the SAS is that the situation would have been easier to tackle if the solicitor had made contact sooner.

'They do not actually have to be in any trouble before they can speak to us,' reminds Mr Freeman.

SAS may be contacted on a confidential basis.