by Robert Bircher

If intelligence, prestige, power, recognition and high income resulted in happiness lawyers would be among the most happy and joyful people on earth. Sadly, this is not the case. 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. What causes this high level of depression in practice is debatable but the “usual suspects” are long hours, the adversarial nature of law, the focus on billable hours, increased competition for clients, the dehumanization of the practice, focusing on the business aspects of law rather than people combined with a culture of materialism, perfectionism, and workaholism.

The evidence is considerable that the problems with depression begin in law school and are magnified by it. Lawyers enter law school with about a 9% rate of depression, the same as the general population, but graduate with a 40% level which after 2 years levels out to a fairly constant 19%.

Susan Daicoff, a leading researcher in lawyer personality and mental health suggests that one problem is that the internal thought processes of some lawyers makes them particularly susceptible to these external stressors; since only certain lawyers react by becoming depressed.

Some of these processes are perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, the need for approval, the need for certainty and control of their environment, none of which fit well with the reality of practicing law. Many lawyers are competitive and have a high need for achievement which leads to a culture of workaholism and perfectionism. In addition some lawyers have a feeling and perceiving approach to decision making (rather than thinking and judging) which in the practice of law creates more stress for them.

Certainly, at the British Columbia Lawyers Assistance Program we see many lawyers where external stress has overwhelmed their ability to cope. We have developed a “Burns Group” where lawyers learn to modify their internal thought processes and their way of looking at problems. This method is known as Cognitive Behavioral Restructuring and it has helped many lawyers become more self-compassionate and develop a more realistic set of beliefs and values. Depression can be treated in many ways including antidepressant drugs and we can make referrals to appropriate professionals.

There are many things that we have helped individual lawyers do to relieve their exposure to these stress factors. For some lawyers the level of depression and lack of job satisfaction are so significant that a change in the way they practice, the amount of time they practice, who they practice with or the area that they practice in are all advisable and would definitely be life enhancing. For a small minority it will mean moving out of law completely to a less stressful, more enjoyable occupation for them. I have helped many lawyers make small and large changes and the results have been excellent. Some have even returned to school to pursue a long lost dream. Those that I know who have left the profession almost universally report that they are happier and much more content in their new fields.

At the Lawyers Assistance Program we are passionately committed to helping lawyers improve their well being and psychological health. If you need help call us at 604-685-2171 or toll-free at 1-888-685-2171.

Robert Bircher, B.A., LL.B., M.A., Ph.D. (cand.), Program Coordinator, Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia

This article was published in the February 2006 issue of BarTalk. © 2006 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.