No One Is an Island – and That Includes Lawyers

Published June 9, 2009

Being a lawyer involves enormous psychological, social, and economic pressures, which have only been intensified by the depression – financial and emotional – that our profession (and our economy) is dealing with now.

Studies show that lawyers have among the highest suicide rates of all professions, a rate some six times higher than that of the general public. Many suicides can be traced to the intense pressure on lawyers to succeed, both financially and professionally, and the crushing sense of failure that a “loss” at trial or in a deal can bring. Psychological testing has shown that lawyers as a group have little or no “resiliency,” defined as “the ability to bounce back from criticism or rejection.” Despite our outward confidence, we are too often sidetracked into doubt and defensiveness.

On top of this comes the impact of the economy. Lawyers in solo and small-firm practices are particularly vulnerable to stress and burnout because of worry over income, client demands, and workload. It’s very difficult to avoid stress when your income fluctuates, especially for a younger attorney who is also growing a new family. We seldom are taught the need or skill set to save money and to live within our means. But cash flow and collection demands cannot be avoided, despite the fact that managing the practice like a business was never taught to us in law school.

Most devastating of all can be the loss of professional identity through “de-equitization” or actual termination. De-equitized lawyers have likely earned good money during their time with the firm, but suddenly they face many hard questions. Did they save enough to be independent or did their standard of living increase over the years to match their income? Will their egos be able to handle the psychological impact of being told “you’re not wanted here?” For some the answer is, sadly, no. Recent press reports talked about a 59-year-old lawyer who had in his career been a senior Justice Department official, had argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and headed the appellate law practice for his current law firm. He was found dead in his office of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the day he was to be let go from the firm in a downsizing.

No one is an island – and that includes lawyers. By nature, we humans are a gregarious species and need to be connected with others. If you feel such a connection lacking in your current practice, consider the LawBizForum community. You have nothing to lose but your stress.

Categorized in: Management

Audience type: Sole Practitioners