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The point above is very well made.

James Booth's article in City AM this morning highlights the moving plight of Gabe MacConaill the Sidley Austin partner who took his own life last month.

His widow's "heart-breaking" open letter in the American Lawyer magazine explained the extreme stress he had been under in his last months and the devastating impact of his suicide on her.

If lawyers at UK and US law firms in the city are routinely billing more than 2,000 hours a year and some more than 3,000 then is it really a surprise that this can happen?

I would argue that tackling stigma and providing first-aiders are important too - MacConaill's widow writes that given an underlying mental health disorder coupled with a "high-pressure job and a culture where it's shameful to ask for help" created a "perfect storm" that contributed to his suicide.

It is not either/or but both.

It is very welcome that removing the stigma of mental illness has led to a serious conversation about the underlying causes of high rates of illness in the profession. A fundamental misunderstanding about what high performance looks like, lies at the heart - Kate Dodd, a diversity and inclusion consultant at Pinsents was quoted in the same piece: "This is not about working less, we are not unrealistic. This is about working better."

Rest, recovery and open conversations about pressure, emotional wellbeing and mental illness are essential to managing the high demands that are placed on lawyers.