Out of 20 managing partners interviewed by Lawyers Weekly, not one agreed that ditching billable hours would solve the problem, with the vast majority (89 per cent) claiming that more education and awareness is the key to reducing depression.
The only other answer suggested by those surveyed was establishing better work-life balance arrangements.

‘Fundamental change’

Marie Jepson, founder of the Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation (TJMF) - a non-profit depression scheme aimed at lawyers – said that greater awareness was needed, but a ‘fundamental change’ to workplace culture is needed.
Herbert Smith Freehills senior partner Peter Butler, who is also a director of TJMF, claimed that firms are trying to tackle the problem of depression.
‘Firms are working collectively... there is no competitive advantage in this space and firms want to share everything [they’re] doing,’ he said. ‘If we approach depression as a collective issue we’re much more likely to get traction and move forward in the right way.’