LawCare offers practitioners the opportunity to discuss with a general practitioner, Dr Jill, who has experience in treating social and psychological problems, any problem that is interfering with or has the opportunity to interfere with your work performance.
The problems may be associated with stress (related to work or domestic situations), alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling addiction, matrimonial difficulties, a family crisis or career problems. This might include a concern about bullying, discrimination or harassment. The service is available to legal practitioners, or members of their immediate family, or other staff of law firms, or law students, to assist with personal problems.
To make contact with Dr Jill, you are invited to telephone the LawCare Counselling Service answering service number which is (08) 8110 5279, and to leave your mobile telephone number. You will then receive a return phone call, so that an appointment can be made at a mutually convenient time for you to consult with her (she consults from a GP clinic in the Adelaide CBD). It is best to leave your personal mobile number rather than a workplace number, because to ensure confidentiality, Dr Jill will not provide any information to anybody other than you.
During the initial consultation, Dr. Jill will seek to identify the nature and extent of the problem. The treatment program may involve further counselling sessions and/or referral to a specialist in a particular discipline or to a specific support program for appropriate treatment.
The Law Society is pleased to be able to make a financial contribution to the cost of consultations with Dr Jill. From 1 July 2024, the structure of this is as follows:
- Per person, the Law Society will cover the gap payments for four consultations of whatever length per financial year.
- Accordingly, after the fourth consultation within a given financial year, Dr Jill will remind her patient that the gap payment for any additional consultations will not be met by the Society (other than in exceptional circumstances – see below). Dr Jill may then enter into a private payment arrangement with the patient.
- An exception may be made if Dr Jill recommends to the Society that the Society pay additional gap payments because she considers the person requires ongoing services and they are unable to meet the payments for further consultations (anonymity will be preserved throughout this process). The Society may then authorise that the Society will continue to meet gap payments relating to that person’s consultations.
The Law Society’s only involvement is to administer the operational costs. The name of any participant in this service will not be passed on to the Society.