A recent study indicates that 61.1% of attorneys report experiencing anxiety over the course of their legal career. The same study showed that 45.7% of attorneys report depression; 12.5% report ADHD; 8.0% report a panic disorder; 2.4% report bipolar disorder; and critically, 11.5% of attorneys reported having had suicidal thoughts during their career. Even more, alcohol dependence is significantly higher among attorneys than the general public; 20.6% of attorneys reporting problematic or hazardous drinking, while in comparison, 11.8% of the “broad, highly educated workforce” reported the same problematic drinking. Accordingly, at a minimum, lawyers have a 10% increase in alcohol-related problems compared to the average population—and that is among those attorneys who are willing report it. (The real numbers are likely much higher). Mental health is a critical issue for attorneys, and with alcohol dependency, depression, and anxiety this high among attorneys, why don’t lawyers do more to help themselves, each other, and the profession itself?

The primary reasons attorneys don’t report these problems, speak openly about them, or seek treatment for them are grounded in the fears of losing their law license, the social stigma that accompanies any mental health problem, the general belief that they can “do it on their own,” concerns for privacy, financial concerns related to obtaining treatment, and time constraints. Attorneys, however, must engage in self-care, law firms must utilize best practices for their attorneys’ wellbeing, and if necessary, attorneys themselves must obtain treatment for these latent problems that are clearly ravaging the legal profession.

THE CHALLENGE: ATTORNEY WELLBEING – A Panel Presentation, presented by Nancy R. Steer, Buddy Stockwell, and Henry Queener, addresses many of the challenges to attorneys’ wellbeing and provides best practices for both individual attorneys—as well as law firms as a whole—to create a healthier environment within which lawyers practice law.

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