Women's woes

I refer to your recent article and in particular the remarks by the spokesman for Clifford Chance (see [2002] Gazette, 16 May, 1).

He commented on the fact that more women than men dropped out by the time of appointing partners.

LawCare's figures might offer a pointer as to what may be happening within the profession generally.

About five times as many women as men are calling us with stress and/or depression problems in the first five years post-qualification.

In the 6-10 years category, there are still three times as many women callers.

For the most part, their complaints relate to the way in which they are treated by partners or line managers.

So many were planning on leaving the profession that we have produced a list of 100 alternative careers using their legal qualifications.

Interestingly, stress-related and alcohol calls from men escalate in years 11-20, and more than double at 21 plus.

This suggests that male partners are having serious problems handling the combined roles of administration and fee-earning.

There may well be a knock-on effect on the way in which staff are treated, which may in some measure explain the complaints from women.

These figures raise serious questions as to the profession's ability to manage its staff.

They also send out a clear message that alcohol is not a suitable tool in stress management.

Barry Pritchard, chief executive, LawCare health support and advice for lawyers