A charity that provides pastoral support to solicitors has recorded its busiest year to date, with a 10% rise in lawyers reporting stress and other problems.

LawCare opened 549 case files last year, up 10% on 2008. Calls to the helpline were becoming ‘longer and more complex’, the charity said, as solicitors face financial and emotional difficulties as a result of the recession.

Of the 549 cases dealt with, 410 related to stress, 47 to clinical depression, 32 to alcoholism, three to illegal drugs and 57 to eating disorders, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and other issues. More than 2,500 additional telephone calls were made or taken in relation to these cases – a quarter more than the previous year.

Just over half of callers were able to identify a primary cause of their distress. A quarter of these cited redundancy, 24% financial problems, 20% disciplinary issues and 17% bullying. Others cited relationship problems, ethical issues and bereavement.

LawCare chief executive Hilary Tilby urged lawyers to contact the support line before the problem became too severe to treat discreetly. ‘Don’t leave it too late. The LawCare service is absolutely confidential,’ she said.

The charity has received calls from every branch of the profession, Tilby added, including solicitors employed in private practice, sole practitioners and barristers.

The LawCare helpline number is 0800 279 6888. The Law Society’s pastoral care helpline is 020 7320 5795.