Changing the Culture

There has been more and more recognition of the mental health challenges created by the legal industry. Yet unfortunately, little seems to be changing. So this raises the question, who is responsible for changing the culture of the legal profession.

To a certain extent the answer has to be all of us. We are, after all, a self-policing profession. We need to be a self-correcting one as well. However, not everyone has equal opportunity to change the profession.

Bar associations and partners have to be the ones who lead the charge. They have the ability to change expectations within the profession. Bar associations can encourage lower billable hours requirements while also incorporating more mental health standards into continuing legal education requirements. Partners can build on standards set by the bar association to establish work place expectations that allow for a work life balance to develop.

Yet that doesn’t mean that junior associates and law students shouldn’t play a role in changing the industry’s culture. After all they are the future of the profession. Law students can start bringing up professional well being with their mentors and professors, and can form their own support groups or work with The LegalMind Society to form support groups. Similarly, junior associates can start to value work-life balance in the job expectations they seek.

To borrow from an overused analogy, the legal industry is like a ship with a very small rudder. Changing course isn’t going to be quick or easy. But the legal industry can be shaped by those who have chosen this profession. And together we can turn the legal industry’s culture towards a brighter future.