A STAFF health survey within Legal Aid NSW has exposed high levels of stress, concerns about the bullying of criminal lawyers and found that workers compensation claims for its criminal solicitors are running at twice the national average.

Coming as the government prepares to review the provision and funding of legal services in NSW, the survey found that 13 per cent of claims within the service are due to mental health problems.

The survey reports solicitors have had to interview clients in the street because of a lack of facilities. Inadequate resources and slow computer systems also contributed to their frustrations.

Some lawyers said they were not always fully briefed at the start of a trial, had inadequate information to manage their cases and were poorly trained to handle emotionally charged situations.

Sources suggest legal aid solicitors sometimes see as many as 30 clients a day, allowing less than 15 minutes per consultation. Some solicitors outside of the Sydney CBD are understood to manage as many as 120 cases every month.