Recently, the Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) Council (a body comprising the President and another representative from each of the 33 Law Students’ Societies/Associations in Australia) met for three days (3-5 October) to discuss a number of contemporary issues relating to law students and higher education.
At the top of the list was discussion on the startling figures released by Professor Ian Hickie at the Tristan Jepson Memorial Lection Lawyers are Human Too, which found, amongst other things, that 40% of law students suffer from depression requiring medical treatment.
The findings have shocked the Council, with President, Verity Doyle stating that ‘this isan issue we must meet head on: these figures clearly demonstrate an endemic problem.’
Ms Doyle continued ‘the starting point must be further research: we will begin by working with mental health and professional organisations to conduct further enquiries into the causes of such a high incidence of depression in law schools.’
ALSA has established a working group of students from around the country. The group will work to create a guidebook to be distributed to every Law Students’ Society and Association in the country to help them raise awareness and provide information and support services to students at a grass roots level.
‘We cannot responsibly adopt a “do nothing” attitude, when so many of our peers are suffering mental illness. We must take responsibility for providing information and support to law students, but law schools and the profession must also share the burden. We call on all law schools in particular to consider how they can improve the environment in which they teach and provide better support services in response to this problem.’
Media contact
Verity Doyle
President
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+61 4 0266 0429
