Lawyers can't handle Tuesdays, survey reveals

The research by recruitment consultants Michael Page International further found that 47 per cent of lawyers carry their stress home from work, leading them to drink (every now and then) or even call in sick to work.

Marketing director Eamon Collins said: “This research has told us that 10am on a Tuesday is the most stressful time of the working week, and it isn’t a coincidence that this is also when traffic to our website peaks.”

The study concluded that the stress is caused by numerous reasons from the most trivial such as IT issues, to mounting workloads leading one in three lawyers to cry.

The issue of workplace stress has been tackled head on by a number of firms including legacy firm Denton Wilde Sapte, which last year launched an initiative that saw all its lawyers undertake hour-long training on recognising signs of stress and improved management techniques (1 February 2010).

Herbert Smith, meanwhile, launched a training scheme in 2009 to help its staff recognise the symptoms of stress and deal with mental illness. The news comes after LawCare, a health advice line for the legal profession, reported that the recession has led to record numbers of lawyers suffering from stress and depression (read more).