Rosemarie Loftus

The Law Society launched the innovative Trainee Solicitor Counselling Service in 2013 in response to concerns about trainee solicitors’ mental health.

A new research report launched yesterday includes insights from over a decade of providing the service, drawing on survey responses from 500 trainees who accessed the service between 2015 and 2023.

Law Society president Rosemarie Loftus said: “The Law Society has been offering counselling sessions to trainee solicitors for over a decade.

“The figures tell a great story. Since 2014 our team of psychotherapists has provided over 16,400 fully funded counselling sessions to almost 3,000 trainee solicitors, from 385 legal workplaces around Ireland.

“One in two trainee solicitors from our current intake have engaged with counselling in the first three months of their Professional Practice Course. This is a huge benefit to these professionals, to their teams and future clients.”

One trainee solicitor quoted in the report said the counselling service offered “the opportunity to work through and deal with issues that were impacting my personal relationships”.

Another stated: “It helped me to see my strengths in a work environment so that I gained more confidence in my abilities.”

Ms Loftus added: “The Trainee Solicitor Counselling Service is about influencing legal culture, promoting openness around professional wellbeing and mental health, and helping solicitors to thrive.

“The Law Society is proud to invest in building a strong and empathic legal profession through strategic and innovative psychological services like this.”