The problem of mental ill-health in the profession and a suggested solution

In recent years, the mental health of legal professionals has attracted considerable attention in the media. After the death of a senior Victorian barrister in May 2007 from a drug overdose, much of this media attention in Australia was focused on the Victorian Bar. In the media scrum that followed the death of Peter Hayes, it was claimed that mental ill-health was rampant at the Bar and that the Victorian Bar had failed to provide support for its barrister members.