Tag: Lawyers

The Tale of Two Attorneys: A Journey through Loss, Grief, Severe Depression, and Recovery

This powerful post is written by Anne F. Downey, Esq., a former BigLaw lawyer, now recently retired, who reflects on her husband’s sudden death during heart surgery, and the grief, depression, treatment, and recovery that followed. Content Warning:  This post contains discussions of suicidal ideation. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US & Canada), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These services are free, confidential, and available to anyone.

I met my husband, Brian, in law school in 1982, and we married shortly after graduation and the bar exam in 1985. We were blessed to adopt two children and, years later, thrilled to become grandparents.

For most of our professional lives, I worked at large law firms, where I made partner, and Brian had a solo general law practice in the suburbs. For a few years, we practiced together as Downey & Downey, but when the kids were grown, I returned to large-firm practice.

On October 16, 2024, at age 64, Brian had heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. The surgical team telephoned my daughter and me in the waiting room about 45 minutes into the surgery, saying they were halfway through, and everything was going well. The surgery should be done in another 45 minutes, and many hours rolled by. Eventually, the surgeon appeared and informed us that Brian’s heart had utterly failed, and Brian was on life support. We entered the room where Brian was on a mini heart/lung machine in an unconscious state.

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On Lawyering & Baseball – Real Tools and Tips from One Lawyer to Another, From The Wellness Docket


Today’s guest article is by attorney Tim Culbert, a lawyer and partner at the law firm of Purvis & Culbert located in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada. He is a passionate mental health advocate in the legal profession, and is the creator of the podcast, “The Wellness Docket” available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. 

WHY BASEBALL?             

I have sat in front of my computer several times, trying to craft the perfect, impactful guest blog post, but I come up empty each time. This is the second or third iteration of this post. My logical brain tells me there’s no such thing as a perfect post; just be honest and write from the heart. The anxiety and depression chirp at me in the back of my mind: “You’re not good enough to write this,” “What if you expose too much?” and so on. Then I trust my instincts—they have never let me down before. I have usually been more successful than my brain sometimes convinces me I can be. I suspect that many lawyers have experienced similar struggles.

In 2025, I started the Wellness Docket podcast, which deals with all things mental health in the legal profession. The podcast is owned by a Not-for-Profit company called “Lawyers With Depression Canada Inc.,” which is a nod to Dan Lukasik’s work with the Lawyers With Depression website in the US.  Since the podcast’s launch in September 2025, I have learned many important lessons from the featured guests. On May 22, 2026, I gave a presentation to the Law Society of New Brunswick entitled “On Lawyering and Baseball – Real Tools and Tips from the Wellness Docket.” This post is based on chosen highlights from that presentation.

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The Cost of Hiding: The Invisible Work Behind High-Functioning Burnout

Kelly Caldwell is an ICF-certified coach who helps lawyers build sustainable, effective practices. Her work sits at the intersection of performance, mental health, and neurodivergence. She writes and speaks regularly on these topics. You can connect with her on Linkedin or visit her group’s website. 

Most of the lawyers I work with are high-performing, capable, and respected. On paper, they’re doing well. They’re managing full workloads in demanding environments – and they are delivering. But behind the scenes, many of them are struggling in ways that no one around them sees.

What comes up in my coaching sessions is rarely a lack of ability or effort. It’s something harder to name – the constant effort of doing the work while also managing how they are perceived. For many lawyers, particularly those with ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence, that effort isn’t occasional. It’s relentless – and it’s present in every interaction, every email, every meeting.

This is masking. And it comes with a cost the legal profession is only just beginning to recognize.

What Masking Actually Is

Masking is the active process of suppressing or concealing traits that feel socially unacceptable – and presenting a version of yourself that fits the expectations of your environment instead.

For neurodivergent people – and I include myself here – masking is rarely a choice. It’s a survival strategy, developed early and refined over years. Most of the ADHD lawyers I coach describe an exhausting series of workarounds and compensatory behaviors. They are experts at masking, and the cognitive load is heavy.

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The Neuroscience of Depression for Lawyers: An Interview with Alex Korb, Ph.D.

 

Dr. Alex Korb is a neuroscientist, writer, and coach. He has studied the brain for more than twenty years, attended Brown University as an undergrad, and earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He’s published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles on depression and is also the author of the books “The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time,” published in 2015, and the updated, revised edition, recently released in November 2025 by New Harbinger Publications. More information about Dr. Korb is available on this website.

Based on ALM and industry surveys, roughly 28% to 35% of lawyers experience depression, making them nearly three times as likely to suffer from it as the general U.S. adult population. Stigma is still rampant in the legal profession, and many don’t get help because of it. Or, just as commonly, they feel it is a moral weakness.  In this interview, I talk with Dr. Korb to understand the brain science behind depression and how, by understanding it, the legal profession might come to terms with depression as an illness with serious effects on the brain.

Dan: What exactly is neuroscience?

Dr. Korb: Neuroscience is simply the study of the brain and nervous system. It’s a branch of biology, but it also includes aspects of psychology, psychiatry, and neurobiology. It encompasses anything happening in the brain and nervous system, all within the scope of neuroscience.

Dan: Have you studied major depression as a neuroscientist?

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How EMDR Therapy Can Help Lawyers Overcome Depression

Jennifer Kupferman, LMSW, MA, JD, is a former lawyer turned therapist who specializes in treating lawyers with a variety of mental health conditions, including depression. She earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her undergraduate degree from Yale. In addition to being a therapist, she gives CLE presentations on mental health in the legal profession throughout the U.S. Call or Email Jennifer now for a free 15-minute consultation – (929) 202-4159.

Introduction

The legal profession is known for its prestige, intellectual challenge, and social impact. Yet, behind the polished courtroom arguments and carefully constructed contracts lies a more troubling reality: lawyers experience disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout. A 2016 study by the American Bar Association and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation revealed that 28% of lawyers struggle with depression, a rate much higher than in the general population.

While traditional treatments such as talk therapy and medication have helped many, a growing number of lawyers are turning to an alternative, neuroscience-based therapy known as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Originally developed to treat trauma, EMDR is gaining attention as a powerful tool for those suffering from depression, especially when that depression is rooted in unresolved emotional stress, perfectionism, or adverse life experiences.

In this post, I’ll explore why depression is so prevalent in the legal field and how EMDR can provide real, lasting relief for lawyers who are silently suffering.

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Silent Struggles: Gendered Pressures on Male Lawyers Contribute to Depression

This guest blog is written by Shebna N. Osanmoh, PMHNP-BC, a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner affiliated with Savant Care, Los Altos, CA, a mental health clinic.

The legal profession is known for long hours, adversarial culture, and high stakes. While all lawyers are vulnerable to mental health issues, an often overlooked group may be suffering in silence—mainly male lawyers.

There’s been increasing awareness of mental health in the legal field, but how depression shows up and is managed in men has been underexamined. This silence is driven by gender expectations, social stigma, and professional pressures, and can lead to serious consequences.

The Silent Burden of Stoicism

From their first year in law school, male lawyers are conditioned to demonstrate competence, assertiveness, and composure. They are trained to suppress their emotions in the courtroom, stay calm under pressure, and base their decisions on logic rather than feelings. These traits are valued professionally, but they can be harmful personally.

The cultural script for male lawyers dictates that they must maintain a strong image at all times. Emotional vulnerability? That’s a weakness. Needing support? It’s a sign you can’t handle the heat. This idealized version of the male lawyer —stoic, confident, and endlessly resilient —leaves little room for authentic emotional experience.

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Justice for the Mind: The Mental Health Crisis Among Indian Lawyers

 

This is a guest blog from attorney, Amarbir Singh Shergill, a Private Legal Practitioner in the Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh, India since 2019. He earned his B.A.LLB (Hons.) and LLM (Criminology) from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. His website, The Half Said Blog, is a space where he “confront[s] the difficult, the unspoken, and the complex issues that shape our lives but rarely get the attention they deserve from mental health & wellbeing and societal issues to love & relationships.”

INTRODUCTION

Millions of lawyers in India rush to court every day in the hope that today will be different, praying to their respective deities that a client will walk through their door—if they are privileged enough to have a chamber—or simply bump into someone needing legal advice. And each day, a majority of them return home with the hope that perhaps tomorrow will be different, repeating the same exercise of faith in perpetuity.

This routine of endless hope is not just a professional challenge but an emotional burden. It is the slow yet sure realization that their aspirations might never materialize. The Indian legal system, festered with rewards for the privileged and resourceful, amplifies this harsh reality. This realization itself triggers a spiral of doubt, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and mental health challenges.

REWARDING PRIVILIGE VERSUS MERIT

As a fresh graduate from law school, I was full of zeal to aid the delivery of justice and use the courtroom to make law and justice accessible to those in need. Guided by principles such as “the law is equal to all,” I toiled during my initial years as a Junior Associate, holding onto the hope that my time would come.

Long working days were the norm. Often working for a minimum of 12 hours, I would stagger home to my rented accommodation, too tired to arrange dinner at times. Despite my efforts, it was evident that my professional value far outweighed my remuneration.

The hope of achieving success through hard work began to falter as I confronted the reality of the deeply ingrained nepotism and preferential treatment that permeates the legal profession. Sons and daughters of second- and third-generation lawyers or judges were effortlessly granted opportunities. My unwavering conviction to work hard gave way to doubts, leading to an internal battle of low self-esteem and self-worth.

This discrepancy in opportunity raises profound questions about equity in the profession. Does merit even stand a chance? And if not, what does this signify for the countless lawyers who do not come from privilege?

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Leading a Mindful Life in the Law: An Interview with Lawyer and Meditation Teacher, Courtney Schulnick

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This podcast features my interview with Courtney Schulnick, Esq., a lawyer and certified mindfulness educator. She is Special Counsel at the law firm of Marshall Dennehey in Philadelphia, defending individuals and businesses in casualty matters in the local, state, and federal courts.  She holds a law degree from the Rutgers School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania.

The stress and anxiety she experienced led to her enrollment in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at the Myrna Brind Center for Mindfulness at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadephia. Now a certified trainer, Courtney gives presentations at law firms, law schools, and other organizations. You can learn more about her and her services on her website.

Courtney weaves together the practice of mindfulness into her daily life as a lawyer, wife, and mother of three young boys. All lawyers seek greater work/life balance, and mindfulness is a path toward that goal. Sincere, kind, and insightful, everyone who listens to Courtney will be encouraged to integrate mindfulness into their lives.

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Can Creativity Help You Heal Depression? An Interview with Psychiatrist, Dr. Carrie Barron

Dr. Carrie Barron is a board-certified psychiatrist on the Columbia College of Physicians an Surgeons clinical faculty who also has a private practice in New York City.  She has published in peer-reviewed journals, won several academic awards, and presented original works related to creativity and self-expression at national meetings of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Along with her husband, Alton Barron, M.D., a hand and shoulder surgeon, she co-authored the book The Creativity Cure: How to Build Happiness with Your Own Two Hands.

Dan:

Why is depression such a problem in our culture?

Carrie:

I think the stress level has increased enormously because we have so much to do, and we’re on twenty-four hours a day. So I think because of technology, which offers us so many great things but gives us much to do. I think that’s part of it. I also believe, especially for children, we’re in a striving, ambitious,  productive time mentality – for children and adults. We need to play, we need to hang out, we need to have spontaneous time. I think spontaneous thought does a lot for alleviating depression and anxiety.

Dan:

We have so many different words in our culture for unpleasant experiences. We might say things like, “I’m sad,” “I’m burnt-out,” “I’m stressed out,” or “I’m depressed.”  But what is the difference in your mind, as a clinician, between sadness, say, and depression?

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