FIVE major Australian law firms are expected to announce a roll out of their own support services for young graduate staff and law students at the University of New South Wales Tristan Jepson Memorial Lecture on 24 September this year.
Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland will be the keynote speaker for this year’s topic on early intervention into mental health for lawyers.
McClelland will outline the task ahead of the profession and service providers before managing partners from Allens Arthur Robinson, Blake Dawson, Clayton Utz, Freehills and Mallesons Stephen Jaques weigh into the discussion.
Sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick will referee the talk.
The results of a national study presented by the Tristan Jepson Memorial Fund and the Brain and Mind Research Institute at last year’s talk, found Australian lawyers are four times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population.
Previous studies have shown 11 per cent of lawyers think about committing suicide each month. The lecture is named in honour of UNSW law graduate Tristan Jepson who committed suicide at the age of 26, six years after being diagnosed with clinical depression.
