The goal of BC Vote (http://www.bcvote.ca) is to provide timely, non-partisan, pluralistic information about the current state of political affairs in the province of British Columbia.
The life experience of many lawyers together with research data show that a disturbingly high percentage of lawyers are extremely unhappy personally and dissatisfied with the practice of law.
A 1990 study revealed that one-third of Washington State lawyers were impaired by depression or alcoholism. The study found that 18% of lawyers had problems with alcohol (versus 10% of employed persons in the United States), and that this figure rose to 25% for lawyers in practice over 20 years. A further 19% were suffering from significantly elevated levels of depression (versus three to nine percent of the general population).
A 1990 study at Johns Hopkins University found that of 28 occupations studied, lawyers were the most likely to suffer depression, and were more than 3.6 times more likely than average to do so.
A quality-of-life survey by the North Carolina Bar Association in 1991 revealed that almost 26% of respondents exhibited symptoms of clinical depression, and almost 12% said they contemplated suicide at least once a month.
Why are so many lawyers depressed? The usual theories are:
Time constraints and deadlines
The high stakes involved for clients
The high expectations of expertise
The constant scrutiny and critical judgment from opposing counsel, the courts and clients
The legal process in general, which is inherently conflict-driven
The threat of malpractice and the perceived need to cover your backside from other lawyers and even your own clients
Professional training that requires us to notice and anticipate the negative and the downside in all situations
Law firm culture which carries certain expectations for high billable hours
On top of work obligations, continuing legal education requirements, bar activities and community service work, all expected from the “good” lawyers
The risk of burn out that comes from high demands, strong focus and the need to stay on task for long periods of time, especially for solos or small firm lawyers
Substance abuse and stress are contributing factors in many disciplinary cases. The Law Society of BC in 1990 reported there were 1,000 complaints about professional conduct and 600 reports of potential or actual negligence claims. The toll on lawyers’ personal and family lives also cannot be discounted.
There are many wonderful things about the profession:
Intellectual challenge
The opportunity to learn every day
The ability to help people
Education and skills which can enable you to effect positive change through advocacy and other means
Perceived high status occupation (sort of)
The ability to earn high income (although depends on practice area, location and firm/employer type)
For many lawyers, it’s a constant challenge to focus on the positives and effectively deal with the stresses and environmental factors that make so many lawyers unhappy.
Interesting comment with respect to privacy concerns about companies collecting personal information about their customers: Apparently your credit card company can predict with 95% certainty that you will get a divorce, two years before it happens, based on your purchases. Anyone know the source of this commentary?
Alison Parry CFA, CA very graciously invited me to be a guest at the Phillips, Hager & North table at the Influential Women in Business Awards luncheon today. It was a very well done event and personally both a humbling and inspiring experience at the same time.
The honorees were:
Julia Kim, Vice-President, Phillips Hager North Investment Management
Tracey McVicar, Managing Director, CAI Capital Management
Colleen Nystedt, President & CEO, MovieSet Inc
Jane Peverett, Corporate Director
Tamara Vrooman, CEO, Vancity
and Carole Taylor won a lifetime achievement award.
What I found really interesting was, while united by notable achievement, how truly unique each woman was in her perspective and style.
On the Business in Vancouver web page, it says that the award criteria are that besides professional or entrepreneurial achievements, Influential Women in Business are involved in their business community and have power and influence wthin their industry. You will find these women involved on corporate boards, advocating for women in business, and visibly participating in the business community as a whole.
The goal of BC Vote (http://www.bcvote.ca) is to provide timely, non-partisan, pluralistic information about the current state of political affairs in the province of British Columbia.
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