As any number of studies will show you, upon entry into the profession, generalised views on life in the law quickly change. Unfortunately for many, a psychological malaise can also set in. A few weeks ago an FS editor heard first-hand evidence of this from the colleague of a young lawyer who tragically committed suicide last year. The colleague spoke of how, prior to committing suicide, the lawyer had been forced to go on a secondment he was reluctant to participate in, had been working within a very demanding team at his firm, and had evinced a feeling of being “trapped” under the weight of it all. It is a tragic story that is probably unfolding at many firms across Australia” the feeling that there is no light at the end of the tunnel; that after this transaction there will be another one; and that no matter what sacrifices are made for work, partners will never truly be happy with the output of juniors.
On the basis that this site probably appeals to many disaffected lawyers feeling this way, we want to work harder to help people find ways out of the psychological stresses they face. And it starts now.
Let’s begin at the logical starting point: why do lawyers suffer depression so pervasively? A recent poll showed that 52% of practicing lawyers describe themselves as dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction feeds into a remarkably high level of poor mental health – lawyers are at much greater risk than the general population for depression, and any number of studies proves it. According to leading psychology academic Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph. D:
Researchers at John Hopkins University found statistically significant elevations of major depressive disorder in only 3 of 104 occupations surveyed. When adjusted for sociodemographics, lawyers topped the list, suffering from depression at a rate of 3.6 times higher than employed persons generally. Lawyers also reportedly suffer from alcoholism and illegal drug use at rates far higher than non-lawyers. The divorce rate among lawyers, especially women, also appears to be higher than the divorce rate among other professionals. They are the best-paid professionals, and yet they are disproportionately unhappy and unhealthy. And lawyers know it; many are retiring early or leaving the profession altogether.
It cannot reliably be said that the problem is financial (even though we routinely argue that younger lawyers are underpaid), so what is it?
Dr Seligman hypothesises that there are three principal psychological causes of depression among lawyers, one of which we will focus on today. The first cause of depression among lawyers, he postulates, is pessimism. But it is not the pessimism we know in the ordinary sense (seeing the glass as half empty) but rather what he terms the “pessimistic explanatory style”:
This kind of pessimistic thinking tends to attribute the causes of negative events as stable and global factors (“It’s going to last forever, and it’s going to undermine everything.”). The pessimist views bad events as pervasive, permanent, and uncontrollable, while the optimist sees them as local, temporary and changeable.
Apparently verifiable psychological studies show that this form of psychological pessimism detrimentally affects people from all walks of life. Dr Seligman goes on:
- Pessimistic life insurance agents sell less and drop out sooner than optimistic agents;
- Pessimistic undergraduates get lower grades, relative to their SAT scores and past academic record, than optimistic students;
- Pessimistic swimmers have more substandard times and bounce back from poor efforts worse than do optimistic swimmers;
- Pessimistic pitchers and hitters do worse in close games than optimistic pitchers and hitters.
- Pessimistic NBA teams lose to the point spread more often than optimistic teams.
In sharp contrast with the results of prior studies in other realms of life, the pessimistic law students on average faired better than their optimistic peers. Specifically, the pessimist outperformed more optimistic students on the traditional measures of achievement, such as grade point averages and law journal success.
Dr Seligman goes on to make some generalised statements about lawyers that we also agree with:
Pessimism is seen as a plus among lawyers, because seeing troubles as pervasive and permanent is a component of what the law profession deems prudence. A prudent perspective enables a good lawyer to see every conceivable snare and catastrophe that might occur in any transaction. The ability to anticipate the whole range of problems and betrayals that non-lawyers are blind to is highly adaptive for the practicing lawyer who can, by so doing, help his clients defend against these far-fetched eventualities. If you don’t have this prudence to begin with, law school will seek to teach it to you. Unfortunately, though, a trait that makes you good at your profession does not always make you a happy human being.
The idea that pessimistic people make good lawyers could well explain why there is such a high incidence of depresssion in the profession, but Dr Seligman also explains how it affects lawyers outside the office:
Lawyers can not easily turn off their character trait of prudence (or pessimism) when they leave the office. Lawyers who can see clearly how badly things might turn out for their clients can also see clearly how badly things might turn out for themselves. Pessimistic lawyers are more likely to believe they will not make partner, that their profession is a racket, that their spouse is unfaithful, or that the economy is headed for disaster much more readily than will optimistic persons. In this manner, pessimism that is adaptive in the profession brings in its wake a very high risk of depression in personal life. The challenge, often unmet, is to remain prudent and yet contain this tendency outside the practice of law.
We have barely scratched the surface today with our first post in the FS Mental Health Series. However, we thought that a natural starting point would be to look at some of the inherent attributes of lawyers as people that might contribute to the frankly depressing incidence of depression within our industry. So there you have it: we’re prudent, or pessimistically prudent. But we’re human. And if you’re feeling depressed at work, understand that you are not alone. There are highly intelligent, highly professional individuals out there who have spent nearly a decade at university just so they can help you. So let them.
In the meantime, let the deal fall over. Get on a plane and seek warmth and respite. You deserve it.
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Thanks FS – as a lawyer with depression (heck I’m at work already) I appreciate your work to make this a more prominent issue and to help us understand it a little better.
A very serious topic and an excellent post.
I hope some of the people reading this post might turn their attention to RedBubble which has gone from selling pro-Hitler t-shirts and revolting childrens’ clothes to selling pro-suicide clothes
http://www.redbubble.com/people/formerlyunknown/t-shirts/7245080-depression-is-an-enemy
It is a disgrace to promote and sell such harmful products, despite many protests. Let them know what you think.
FS – a great article. I must admit I come from a firm where a colleague committed suicide last year, the comments below are perhaps a produce of the firm being more in tune to these things now (though I understand that they were very supportive and caring toward this individual before his passing).
Earlier this year and late last year I was starting to feel down, very down. Of course, it was alot to do with work but also a lot to do with home life as well. Mainly a feeling of being overwhelmed with work and home life. Thankfully a few of the partners and other lawyers recognised this, I was referred to our employee assistance program. It is 6 hours of paid counselling provided by the firm. What I can say is this; it has really helped me to get back on track and gain some perspective on work.
My only advice to someone who feels like they are heading down the path toward depression is to speak to someone. See if your firm has a self referral program to a counsellor. Even if you don’t, see one anyway. It really helps.
Cheers
JM
Puppies are awesome.
As a 10+ year lawyer, there are a few other tips I’d like to share:
1. Take your holidays. Every year, make sure you take a decent break. Don’t do any work when you’re away (no one is impressed by all that “I had to work on the plane…” crap). If you have email on your phone – disconnect it or leave it at home!
2. Don’t try to get to the top too quickly. As they say, slow and steady wins the race. I started with people who were real “go getters”, they’ve all crashed and burned and I’m still here. You should also learn early that those who talk themselves up the most will be gone before you know it.
3. Keep in touch with your friends. Also, remember that they are your friends, not marketing opportunities.
4. Stinson is correct. Get a dog. Not much is better than coming home to a wagging tail at the end of the day. Dogs don’t care if you messed up the Pensky File.
5. Get organised. Not only at work, but at home as well. If you go home to a place that has crap everywhere, and the bills are unpaid, and food is rotting in the fridge, then you wont be able to keep a clear head.
6. Booze only in moderation. It doesn’t make things better.
7. Keep some distance. Your colleagues are not your friends. The shared confidence when you are a first year might come back to bite you. Also, your colleagues are not for sex – just ask Bridgette Styles and Clutz!
8. Know when to stop. Like with this list. Now.
FS is a great antidote to depression
Good to see you posting on such a very important topic. Very good tips also from Nasty Cyril above.
Great article, FS.
I’m a second year at a top tier with depression, and knowing that my colleagues and profession generally are starting to wake up to these sorts of issues helps me feel like I’m going to get through it. I feel confident that my firm would be generally supportive if I were to confide in HR, but I still worry so much about even the slightest professional consequence that I take pains to not even confide in the lawyers who started in my graduate year (some of whom I consider among my closest friends).
In my case there is certainly a correlation between the personality traits that made me want to be a lawyer and my mental illness. I actually really like my job (truly!), and though the stress of the work and hours probably don’t help things, I think the real root of my troubles is that I tend to obsessively worry about everything, and feel like a complete failure when anything, including and especially in my private life, doesn’t go according to plan. Friends I have confided in have been quick to tell me to change jobs, but I think that’s mistaking a correlation for a causation that, in my case, I don’t think exists.
@Nasty
Suggestion 7 is daft, imo. One of the things (for me) that makes work move between bearable and enjoyable is having close personal relationships with colleagues. I can’t imagine being able to do it without, unless you’re engaged in some genuinely interesting work, which, let’s face it….
As for getting your meat where you get your bread – it’s not wise if you’re going to get all emotional about it if it doesn’t work properly – but how many people meet their future partners at work?
The fact that Styles couldn’t handle it doesn’t mean none of us can. Alcoholics can’t handle their drink either, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t enjoy alcohol.
It really helps to work in a nurturing, friendly environment. I’m a junior lawyer and I’m so thankful that my team is incredibly friendly people and the partner I work under is always approachable and patient. Of course everyone gets stressed out at one stage or another but we all try to help each other out. We’re not intrusive in each other’s lives but we keep a warm, professional interest.
And I think it starts from the top. If you have partners that are difficult to work with, who are cold and mean, who are quick to blame and anger, then that has a trickles down effect. People naturally take on a defensive persona and I bet it makes high-pressure situations heaps worse. And who gets the brunt of it? The people at the bottom, i.e. junior lawyers.
I think if more senior lawyers and partners take more responsibility for those junior to them, then it’ll help with the depression issue. And “being responsible” doesn’t require time, it’s a matter of saying “thanks” and “well done” freely when appropriate, to show that one’s effort means something. If partners and senior associates can learn to be kinder, more open and friendlier, those below them will probably eventually follow suit.
Well done FS on looking at depression/ mental health in the legal profession. Not necessarily in the usual remit of this site but what better vehicle for it.
I know the LawSoc in NSW focused on mental health recently but I find the LawSoc an antiquated model with little interest in helping its members and not keeping up with the changing face of the profession (but that’s a whole other topic…)
As a 2 year lawyer I was in a firm where I was bullied and treated like crap – happened to all the young lawyers (they went through 12 in 2 years). 12 months after I resigned I had a diagnosis of clinical depression.
I second (third?) the comment re getting a dog – it makes you get out of the house and interact with others. Learn to compartmentalise your home and work life and don’t fall into the trap of investing very ounce of energy into the job. Otherwise, get out of private practice and regain some sense of work/life balance. I have not worked in private practice since that last firm and that was 7 years ago. I even turned down a dream job – no job or title was worth my sanity.
I think this is only an issue which is going to get worse for the profession and more needs to be done to prevent the fall out.
I recommend everyone to read Barrister Dr Kendall’s: Report on Psychological Distress and Depression in the Legal Profession (http://www.lawsocietywa.asn.au/client/multimedia/News/Report%20of%20PDD%20Ad%20Hoc%20Cttee%20FINAL%20Public%20Release%2016%20May%202011.pdf)
Anonymous @8.30pm – a few points:
1. Maybe you enjoy your job as a lawyer – but don’t rule that out as playing part in your depression too. For example, a lot of people love/like their gf/bf, but a lot of times gf/bf depresses gf/bf.
2. The law teaches us to be cynical. We manage client expectations by painting a doom and gloom picture, and when we perform one notch better than doom and gloom, client’s are over the moon.
3. The nature of the work is at times frightening. The matters we deal with involve a lot lot lot of money, affect a lot of real people and entire businesses and groups of companies. A tiny mistake bring about serious ongoing consequences.
4. We enter a profession glamourised by the media, and once in, we ask:
“is this it?”
“am i going to fill in the blanks and tick some boxes for the rest of my life?”
“does my work on “high value transactions” involve slight adjustments to a precedent”
5. Our hourly rates end up being less than other professional careers.
6. We feel hostage to “wowing” people. “I’m a lawyer” sounds good to us, and for some, it’s a chick magnet, albeit decreasingly.
7. There is no ownership of what we do. We don’t conduct a file from start to end. We are at a partner’s whim. Doing what he tells us, how he tells, and copping shit when he realises what he told us wasn’t the best way of doing it.
All in all, we’re between a hard place and a rock. The lot of us, grads to SA’s. It doesn’t get any better with time. We are all waiting for that one lion hearted colleague to walk into a partner’s room and say: “up yours”.
That’s why I dropped law school even though I was in 4th yr and got good grades.. Can’t stand working in a law firm.. Ppl are so political n evil!!!
Well done FS. Manetal health/depression is a significant issue for junior lawyers and the profession.
I do enjoy reading FS, as do a lot of others, but let’s be reaslistic – it’s a gossip site where negative articles are de rigueur. Case in point – if you look at the “related posts” below the article above, one is titled “lowering the bar, Clayton Utz makes junior “senior” associate”. The whole tone of that article was, to be honest, quite negative and indirectly aimed at a junior lawyer who was given a promotion (whether rightly or wrongly most will never know), which should have been a very positive moment in that lawyers life. While you rightly pointed out the lawyer may have actually deserved the promotion, the article was most definitely negative in its tone, with too much weight given to lawyers who could, let’s face it, simply be aggrieved (i.e. jealous). How would that junior lawyer have felt in those circumstances? This site is read widely by colleagues and peers in the industry.
While the majority of the stories on this site are amusing and sometimes even ground breaking, there are, of course, several other articles of a similar tone to the one mentioned above.
Most people may not agree with me, but I do feel that if FS wants to be seen as being serious about mental health/depression in the legal profession, it should also consider the consequences of its some of its stories. Sometimes gossip can be wrong, but once it is out there for all and sundry, it can take on a life of its own. FS and its loyal followers should be conscious of that.
Also it should be worth noting depression does not only affect lawyers in firms, it also affects support staff / shared services.
“All in all, we’re between a hard place and a rock. The lot of us, grads to SA’s. It doesn’t get any better with time.”
I disagree. It did get better with time for me. I found that once I made SA I could easily push back on partners and clients who had unrealistic expectations about my workload. I slogged it out to get that promotion and I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let myself be dragged into an ever deepening hole of stress and brutal hours once I had it under my belt.
Now I get so many calls from recruiters that if I ever felt my job were threatened, I am confident I could pick something else up very quickly.
Partners and senior SAs are very effective at shifting the stress and pressure down onto juniors. It needn’t be like this, but it is an effective business model for those that make it to the top – so you can understand why this practice perpetuates itself. There is fair amount of monkey-see, monkey-do going on.
More people should stand up and say “Hey, this isn’t fair – if you want the firm to keep this deadline, then I need help”. The problem with most lawyers is they are too happy to suffer in silence and make the firm’s or their partner’s problems their own. If your group is under-resourced, your team has poor support or your partner works 9 to 5 and not a second longer, that’s the firm’s problem, not yours.
I have a very open dialogue with my partner which has really helped me during those rough patches. Not long ago I had to take 2 days leave to have health screenings for symptoms which turned out to be stress-related. This then prompted a very frank conversation with my boss about how I was over-worked. I ended up getting the rest of the week off and two more juniors allocated to the matter to assist me.
I appreciate not all firms are the same in terms of offering support to people who cry out for it – but by the same token, not all are so callous as to ignore, punish or force out those who do put their hands up for assistance.
To those who aren’t happy with their legal careers and feel like they are stuck between a rock and a hard place – I hope you are smart enough to realise you can pull the rip cord, eject yourself, and take up a job somewhere else. There are plenty out there.
@ Nasty Cyril
Your colleagues are not for sex – why ask Styles and not Luis Izzo? He’s the one who apparently slept with numerous colleagues. There’s no allegation she was doing the same .
Oh but I forgot it is different for boys isn’t it?
Don’t preach about things you know nothing about, just because you read in the fin review, or here, doesn’t mean it true
@Anonymous 2.52am (surely not?)
Why ask Styles and not Izzo? Perhaps because he seems to have gotten away with it better than she did. Not everything is about boys v girls, so perhaps you should keep your warped views to yourself?
@ xyyz – yes people may meet their future partners at work. Just ask Claire Whatshername from last year’s masterchef. Doesn’t mean it’s a good thing – especially not for wifey at home with kids.
There is no doubt that law is a tough profession. I have noticed that clients are getting more and more demanding, and deadlines are becoming shorter and shorter. Everyone wants an immediate turn around, and we are too scared to say no in case they go to a competitor.
It made my stomach turn to read an article about an in house lawyer who spoke glowingly of a law firm that rang him up every Friday afternoon to ask what work they could do for him over the weekend. He said “they got paid to do it, so they were happy to do it”. Except I’ll bet the juniors weren’t getting paid overtime!
I frequently wonder why I keep doing it. I am ashamed to say that at this point, it is mostly because I want the pay day that comes with being a partner. If I have worked this hard for this long, I want the $1m paycheck that comes with it, even if only for a few years to pay off a decent house and put a chunk of money into savings. After that, I can drop down to an in house role where the hours aren’t so crazy. I guess I am just another lawyer stereotype.
Suggesting that “not completely ruling colleagues out as potential lovers” is some sort of endorsement of “cheating on the wife stuck at home looking after the kids” is one of the more ludicrous straw man arguments to grace the FS comments sections, and that is saying something.
You could apply the same logic to any and all male-female interaction. I should probably stop dating women, lest someone, somewhere, use dating as a route to adultery.
Interesting article and indeed in touch with sentiments expressed. I worked for Mallesons for quite a number of years. Whilst not legal staff, I found myself in the midst of a restructure and not surprisingly found my job deleted. Due to their propensity to avoid mass payouts at that time, I was demoted. Seems Workchoices favoured them rather than me. I resisted the move and all of a sudden, after years of very positive reviews, found myself under performance management. Needless to say depression, alcohol abuse and thoughts of suicide ensued. After two episodes of almost collapsing in the office due to the stress of the situation. The point blank refused to acknowledge my illness due to stress. I eventually left.
@xyyz – I certainly wasn’t trying to insinuate that you were endorsing adultery – perhaps (judging by your hyperbole) someone is a little sensitive to this issue?
Maybe there are a bunch of people out there who are in happy, functional relationships with colleagues.
In my experience* the work relationship is fraught in the long term.
I think the only times I’ve seen it work are where it’s a larger organisation and the people work in different areas (or where juniors get together and one or both eventually leave the organisation).
Conversely, I am aware of quite a few examples where it doesn’t work – such as the senior guy/ junior girl relationship where the partner/boss looks like a sad old man and the junior girl is seen to be rooting her way to the top. I’ve also seen it not work for junior lawyers, resulting in both leaving the firm.
*NB. My experience does not refer to my relationship with Mrs Cyril, she is actually a somewhat overweight truckie.
Obviously, dating a colleague is a risky strategy. Also potentially quite a rewarding one.
The fact that the oberservations of one guy on the internet tend toward the negative is neither here nor there though, really.
@xyyz – really?
I agree with Been There got the T Shirt. I have also been there, done that (although I am a lot more senior). Whilst the Law Society has various initiatives aimed at mental health (which those who need them should take advantage of) it does little to stand up for its members.against one of the potential causes of mental health in lawyers i.e the unacceptable behaviour of some members of the profession in the workplace. That is, whilst it is clear that they know who the repeat offenders are, there is no mechanism for them to sanction them (unless you want to make a complaint to the Legal Services Commissioner).They are not a union – they cannot assist you in resolving issues that in other workplaces would warrant union intervention. It is an area that needs further work.
Here are some tips (in no particular order);
1.Don’t define yourself by work. You are more than just your job. Don’t let your job take over your life ( I know easier said than done). Set boundaries and try to stick to them. At the end of the day, you are only screwing yourself if you put your work before your life- when it comes to the crunch, those partners will not care what you have sacrificed for them – you are just a number on a balance sheet. Make time for yourself.
2. Once you have proved yourself and gained some respect, it is ok to be a bit more assertive. Learn to say “no” (or deflect) unreasonable demands. Ever noticed that those who say “no” and make demands seem to flourish whereas those who go with the flow just get more work/demands piled on them because the partners know they will do it.
3. Don’t be a perfectionist. Accuracy is a good thing but constantly obsessing/ worrying over tiny details to get things perfect just adds unnecessary stress.
4. Don’t compromise your ethics.
5. Never under- estimate the effect of your friends and/or workmates. In my case the regular phone calls are one of the reasons why I am still here. Make time for your friends.
6. Develop a group of work mates that grow into friends that you can trust and talk to. A lot of the bad things that happen in law firms can be swept under the carpet because no-one tells anyone what is going on – and so the pattern continues. Look out for each other. Don’t let your work mates become isolated.
7.Don’t be afraid to see a good psychologist for counselling – it really helps to talk to a professional who does not judge or put pressure on you. It is nothing to be embarrassed about -everyone who I saw in the waiting room were also dressed in expensive suits. Some psychologists have appointments before work hours.
8.The Law Society used to run a full day CLE (free) on Mental Health which I think should be compulsory for all lawyers .
9. The usual tips, take holidays so you have a break and also have something to look forward to, make time for exercise and keep a pet (they are good to talk to when everything gets too much and they don’t judge you).
10. Whether you trust HR will depend on which firm you work for – see all those other firmspy articles. There are many horror stories about people with valid complaints about partners disappearing after they have been to HR. Behaviour that would not be tolerated elsewhere is tolerated because it is easier for HR to get rid of the complainant that the partner. However, this should not prevent you from standing up for what is right. Whilst law firms may try and make you feel powerless (another potential cause of depression) you are not powerless.
11. Recognise when your job is impacting on your life/ health. The power, prestige and money is not worth the damage to your health.
12. If it all gets too much – leave. There are better workplaces out there.
13. If you are depressed -don’t despair – things do get better and unpleasant memories do fade (although not long ago I would not have believed it).
Best of luck. Don’t learn the hard way like I did.
Good advice from some people with life experience.
@xyyz ‘Don’t dip your quill in the company ink’.
Agree with Nasty Cyril. Especially if they’re married and they own the firm. When it’s over, guess who matters more to the firm?? Unless you’re billing millions, it’s not you.
Only 1% of affairs end up as permanent long term relationships. That’s lower than the 50% divorce rate.
If you’re lucky, you’re just the subject of office gossip. If you’re unlucky it ends up on FS or in the press and if you’re realistic at all, you know you’ll be working elsewhere before too long – no matter what happens.
Not everyone you work with is married or in a relationship.
I think what lawyers need to keep in mind is that there is a whole world outside the firm they work in – but of course, when you’re working crazy hours, the firm seems like the world and your vision becomes very narrow.
If you are a junior lawyer in a firm, particularly a big firm, and find that going into work everyday feels like stepping into the twilight zone, then you are not alone.
The solution is easy though – you just leave, you walk out the door like all the other lawyers before you.
Thanks for the article. It’s very close to home for me.