Help is at Hand

In times of difficulty, with all of us beset with the pressures of a pandemic and its effect on our ability to practise, it is good to know that your colleagues are always willing to listen and help where we can. Niall Cawley highlights the great service that is the Solicitors Helpline

Background In 1984 the DSBA established what was then called the Solicitors Helpline with the simple but important aim of assisting colleagues experiencing difficulties. The helpline was subsequently renamed Consult a Colleague in the hope that the new name would more accurately reflect the services being offered. Panel of Volunteers Consult a Colleague is independently run for the benefit of all solicitors in Ireland with administrative support from the DSBA.

It is operated by a panel of volunteers who give freely of their time on a two week rotation so that at any time of the year, on every day of the year there are at least two solicitors on standby.

The panel is organised in such a way that the contact details for all of the volunteers are available on the Consult a Colleague website at www.consultacolleague.ie so that, in the event that the two volunteers on call on that particular fortnight are colleagues whom a caller might not wish to speak with for any particular reason, he or she can still easily access the full list of volunteers and call any one of them.

One of the most important points to take from this is that this is an entirely confidential support service. The colleagues who offer their assistance do so on a voluntary basis and will not and cannot accept instructions arising out of what passes between them and the caller. Solicitors Only This facility is operated for the benefit of Solicitors only. Confidentiality All calls are made on a no names basis. Of course, any caller can if he or she wishes identify themselves to the volunteer that they have called. While the volunteer’s identity is clearly shown the intent here is to shield the caller.

All callers can be assured that volunteers do not keep records, even for members of the Consult a Colleague Committee or for other volunteers, of the information that has been furnished to them. This is a strictly confidential service. Advice Consult a Colleague offers advice unlike some other counselling services. Professional Representative Again to re-iterate, the volunteers of Consult a Colleague are not professional representatives in the sense that they will not take over the conduct of any matter on a professional level that you might ask them to take over as a result of your dealing with them as volunteers.

This is to protect the integrity of the Consult a Colleague system and to copper fasten the fact that this is a voluntary service given by volunteers who are not out to make any sort of financial reward.

If professional representation is required the Consult a Colleague website has the name of a couple of solicitors’ firms who work in this area professionally and for which of course they are paid but those firms are independent of Consult a Colleague.

Niall Cawley is principal of Niall T. Cawley Solicitors, Blackrock. He is a Council member of the DSBA

The list that is set out on the website is not intended to be exhaustive but is merely indicative. Making the Call Any caller who has a problem of whatever nature can phone the volunteers who are identified on the Help Line or alternatively can contact any member of the panel of volunteers. Bear in mind that you are calling your colleague who may not be immediately free to talk to you depending on the circumstances of his or her working day or where they are at any one time when you reach them.

But rest assured, our volunteers will make time to talk to you and address your problem with the attention it needs.

On the rare occasions that a colleague cannot deal with your problem for whatever reason then that colleague will generally refer you to one of the other panel volunteers for assistance subject to your agreement. Services Not Offered Sometimes, colleagues are phoning the helpline because they are facing very difficult situations of one sort or another. The volunteers of Consult a Colleague are all experienced solicitors with a knowledge of running solicitors’ practices and compliance with solicitors’ regulations. It probably does not need to be stated but they are not in a position to give any sort of advice outside of the legal sphere and working within same we are here to help within the limit of our abilities to do so.

Volunteers may on occasion refer callers to a third party such as a GP or other professional advisers depending on the issues that might be disclosed. Areas of Advice Consult a Colleague volunteers address a myriad of issues including: Finance & Accounts, staff & HR, legal situations, compliance issues, bullying, harassment, inability to cope with work and associated stress and depression.

The helpline is not intended to be there to help someone who has a particular conveyancing or litigation problem where they are just looking for a second opinion. Generally speaking the helpline is there to assist people who are having professional or regulatory problems or who are having problems in the workplace arising out of bullying or other issues such as finding workplace life challenging and difficult and who are seeking an outside perspective. Conclusion

Consult a Colleague is a voluntary service set up for the benefit of our colleagues. It is staffed by volunteers whose only focus and interest is to help the colleague who calls them with problems. There is no defined limit to the nature of the problems relating to practice and it is intended that the volunteers will endeavour, either alone or with the assistance of other volunteers, to respond to any queries.

If you need us we are there for you. Call us. Our number is 01 284 8484 www.consultacolleague.ie P

The helpline is not intended to be there to help someone who has a particular conveyancing or litigation problem where they are just looking for a second opinion