An alarming rate of depression among Australia's lawyers is finally starting to be addressed with support programs.

Surveys have suggested one-in-three lawyers has suffered from the blues, prompting law firms and the judiciary in South Australia to consider ways to offer more mental health support.

Senior law partners, some with personal experience of depression, are looking at how to create a more supportive work environment.

Among them is managing partner at Adelaide law firm Wallmans Lawyers, Trevor Edmond, whose personal struggle saw him confront his mental health head-on and later help drive wider changes.

"There was a time just after I was appointed managing partner in this firm, about three or so years ago," he recalled.

"Stress levels are pretty high when you take on a new role. We had some issues within the firm but I also had outside issues - I had a very very close friend who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I had a family member who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I realised, looking back, I was suffering from depression.

"I had got to the stage where there was a difficulty getting out of bed in the morning. There was a time when I'd be getting ready for work and I'd just start crying uncontrollably."

Mr Edmond hid his personal turmoil from family and colleagues as best he could, but now said that was a mistake.

"Anything that you might see or allow the others to perceive as a sign of weakness is something you don't want to have, so we bottle it up, we hide it away, we don't want it to be seen out there by others, we don't want to talk about it and that has to change," he said.

"[Now] I'm more than happy to say I had depression and I'm excited to see that there are others within the profession, others in senior roles in the profession, other managing partners particularly in the eastern seaboard and overseas who are saying the same: 'We've had depression and we need to acknowledge it so that others understand it is still possible to perform'."

Mr Edmond said there was now overwhelming evidence of a high prevalence of depression in Australia's legal industry and abroad and the work culture had to change.

"There have been a number of surveys undertaken to identify the level of depression, both in Australia and overseas, and the findings are constant in the case of solicitors - we see it's constantly on the mark of one-in-three, 33 per cent of solicitors at any one stage are suffering depression, high anxiety and stress," he said.

"In the case of barristers it's 20 per cent so it is significantly higher at a rate of probably three times higher than the average population.

"It's a massive problem for the legal profession to be looking at dealing with and, in my view, it's a problem the legal profession has to turn its mind to now. It can't be ignored, it can't be swept away."

Yoga classes give a dose of tranquillity

Gruelling case loads and work schedules, coupled with high expectations from clients, are among the pressures lawyers face daily.

Wallmans Lawyers decided to offer health and wellbeing programs, having consulted its staff about work pressures.

The boardroom is often turned over to staff yoga classes and they are encouraged to take time out of their demanding schedules to relax.

The company also has a "quiet room", gets fresh fruit delivered and team camps are held.

Mr Edmond was pleased to see a culture of support and care had evolved.

"We are here trying to develop a position in our office where we actually have people asking you the question of whether you're okay, 'Are you alright?' rather than waiting for you to react," he said.

"People here now have a level of comfort not only to talk about it themselves but actually feel comfortable to ask others whether something is wrong.

"We all have those times when work piles up, files sit on your desk and things get on top of you. If we can deal with them all very, very early on as a group it's going to save a lot of issues for us in relation to depression."

He said statistics had been compiled in the industry suggesting about 10 per cent of those in the legal profession contemplated suicide in any month.

Judiciary slowly making workload changes

Along with law firms, the judiciary is now tackling mental health concerns.

South Australian Supreme Court Justice John Sulan said attitudes were starting to change.

"I think we have to recognise that people need to have a work-life balance and I think the judiciary are also recognising it," he said.

Justice Sulan urges other judges to confide their problems. ( ABC News )

"In days gone by there was very little recognition of that, but we accept as judges now that there are times that lawyers need a break.

"It's a very, very time-consuming profession and many say they've got two spouses - their husband or wife and the legal profession.

"It's a very demanding profession and a lot of the work is done under pressure. That has its consequences."

Justice Sulan started his legal career in 1969, in an era when mental health was not discussed in the workplace.

He said many still found it hard to open up about their work stresses.

"Clearly some cases are very emotionally draining and because you're dealing with human beings, you're dealing with real-life situations, you're dealing with some horrific situations both in the criminal court and in the civil courts," he said.

"There are] very great demands on the lawyers ... so that does take its toll."

Justice Sulan is involved in a men's health group and within the Supreme Court encourages other judges to confide in him confidentially about personal issues.

There is also professional counselling now offered for judges and magistrates.

"The Chief Justice, the Chief Judge and the Chief Magistrate are very attuned to the need to ensure that their judges maintain their health," Justice Sulan said.

"If a judge or magistrate needs assistance then every effort will be given to assisting them and if they need to take some time off that will be given to them.

"It is still difficult to get people to open up because I think that inherently people still do not want to talk about their mental health. I mean it's difficult enough to get people to talk about their physical health let alone their mental health, so I think we've still got a long way to go in that area but on the other hand we've gone a long way in the past 30 years."

He hoped the attention to health issues would keep improving in workplaces.

"There is a recognition of those pressures and I think over the years there will be greater recognition of it and it is important because we need to maintain the health of our professionals, because if they're going to do a good job they need to be healthy," he said.

Resources concern for smaller law firms

Trevor Edmond does yoga in his firm's boardroom. ( ABC News )

Lawyer Trevor Edmond said smaller law firms remained vulnerable to health worries because of a lack of resources and support services.

"It's very difficult for those who are practicing on their own or practising in small groups, and barristers who are of course practicing on their own effectively," he said.

"The majority of firms in this state [SA] are small firms that have less than five or six professionals, it's very hard for those people I think to deal with it. I can understand for a lot of the smaller practitioners [there] is a degree of difficulty."

The Law Society of South Australia now has a mental health and wellness committee to support people in the field who are dealing with depression.

A confidential counselling service, LawCare, started about 18 years ago and officials said 300 people had made use of the support.

The Law Society said the biggest increase in new clients approaching LawCare came two years ago.

It said work-related stress and depression were the biggest issues, closely followed by home-related stress.

Mr Edmond hoped his own firm's proactive approach to mental health issues would become part of a pervasive culture in the legal field.

"I know a number of firms who also run an employee assistance program [but] unfortunately I'm aware of other firms who still adopt the attitude that it's a tough life, if you can't handle it, don't expect any sympathy. That to me is an unfortunate attitude ... and it's something that won't be sustainable," he said.

More on the story on 7.30 SA on Friday night on the ABC.