The Washington Post reported that Lawyers ‘outranked’ other professionals on a ‘loneliness scale’ in a survey of more than 1,600 workers, in which they are asked 20 loneliness related questions. Read more here.
Lawyers Rank Highest on ‘Loneliness Scale’, Study Finds
‘Better Call Saul’ Highlights Stress and Mental Illness in the Legal Profession
The ABA Journal reports: “Chuck McGill’s suicide in Better Call Saul reflects what is happening within the legal profession throughout the United States. But anxiety and depression are not confined to practicing lawyers. A study of law school students at Yale University found that 70 percent admitted to suffering from some form of mental health issues. Eighty percent of those respondents considered help, but only half of them actually sought it out. Read the article.
Big Law Tackles Mental Health Crisis Issues With On-Site Programs; Is Its Business Model at Fault?
The ABA Journal report that Big firms have long been reticent to openly address addiction and other mental-health problems, despite research showing lawyers face higher rates of substance abuse, depression, and suicide than the wider population,” the article says. “Law firm leaders say the need to keep up appearances in a competitive industry has contributed to the resistance. That attitude, however, is slowly changing. Read the article.
Kirkland & Ellis to Offer ‘Emotional Fitness’ Training at All Law Firm Offices
The ABA Journal reports that following a trial program involving 60 lawyers in its Chicago office, Kirkland & Ellis is expanding Life XT to all offices. Described by the Wall Street Journal Law Blog as “emotional fitness” training, the program in Chicago included workshops for attorneys on reducing stress and improving emotional coping skills. Read the News
Life Experience and Cognitive Science Deepen the Case for Mindfulness in Law
University of San Francisco Law Professor Rhonda Magee writes in the ABA Journal, “Few would disagree that if the purported benefits of mindfulness prove to be true, no profession is in greater need of them than ours. And indeed, the legal profession is responding. Law schools, lawyers and judges are reviewing the research detailing benefits: reduced stress, lower blood pressure, increased empathy, improved performance on exams and during arguments, more ethical decision-making, and more satisfying and effective client counseling conversations. And they are practicing mindfulness to assist in handling the stress of legal practice and to improve performance.” Read her Blog
More Than 25% of Law Students Have Had Psychiatric and Substance-use Disorders; Are They Hiding It?
The ABA Journal reports, “More than a quarter of surveyed law students said they had been diagnosed at some point for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, psychosis, personality disorder or substance use disorder, Bloomberg News reports. Results of the survey, taken from February to May 2014, are summarized in this Bar Examiners article.” Read the News
Introverts in an Extroverts’ World: Most Lawyers Are Introvert, and That’s Not a Bad Thing
The current issue of the ABA Journal reports, “It’s not something you’d intuitively think, particularly when you think of litigators,” Wisnik says. “But it makes sense. Many lawyers spend a lot of time by themselves—reading, writing, thinking—compared to other jobs where the majority of the work is interacting. Introverts make good lawyers, especially for clients who want a thoughtful answer.” Read the Story
How Lawyers Can Avoid Burnout and Debilitating Anxiety
From the ABA Journal, a great overview of why lawyers suffer such high rates of anxiety and depression and what you can do about it. Read the News
Out of the Darkness: Overwhelming Depression among Lawyers
A good overview of depression in the legal profession. Read the Story
Demanding Work Schedules Are Damaging Their Health, Say 82% of Surveyed Lawyers
The demands of work at leading law firms in the United States and United Kingdom are quantified in a new survey that found 22 percent of senior lawyers and partners work every weekend, and more than 10 percent work an average of 70 or more hours a week. Read the Story
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