‘I couldn’t do it any more’: family lawyers quit amid burnout and pain of billing DV victims

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Some have already left their practice and others are warning juniors to avoid family law because the system is broken

Family lawyers have spoken of the severe stress of working in the field, leading many to quit despite wanting to help domestic violence victims.Family lawyers have spoken of the severe stress of working in the field, leading many to quit despite wanting to help domestic violence victims.

And they said veteran lawyers often warned juniors not to go into the family law arena because the system was too broken.investigating access to the legal system for victim-survivors of family abuse.

“As a lawyer you’ve got to bill, and every minute of your time is pretty accounted for,” said Stevie*, who left family law after close to a decade, and did not wish to be named. Stevie said the boss at the private legal practice where she worked was sympathetic and would regularly make concessions with bills and offer payment plans, but that it was not uncommon for legal bills to reachOther lawyers said their experience billing vulnerable women was part of their motivation to move into the public system, which is made up of Legal Aid and community legal centres.

Women’s community legal centres assisted 25,000 women with their family law matters last year, but had to turn away 52,000 women. “When you have those clients who contact you and say ‘I don’t know how I’m going to pay for this’, it’s heartbreaking, especially when you can see that they’ve got great prospects in their matter,” she said.

 

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