The Lonely Lawyer

Humans are a social species. We don’t just need food, water, air, and shelter. We need connection. We need to feel like someone has our back. Unless you are a psychopath or sociopath, no one can truly go through this life alone. Unfortunately, the lonely lawyer is all too common a problem, and one of the root causes of the profession’s mental health epidemic.

Starting from day one in law school, we are literally graded against one another. We compete for class ranking. We compete for law review. When we graduate we compete for jobs, partnerships, cases, etc. And while there are exceptions to that reality, ours is an adversarial profession staffed by beings craving connection.

And too often, even when we find those connections in our personal life of form friendships at work, we seem so reluctant to allow our vulnerability to show through. I should know, allowing myself to be vulnerable is something I’ve always struggled with, law school just poured gas on that fire. And it is still something I am working to recover from.

Unfortunately, there are many factors that fuel our industry’s creation of lonely lawyers. And systemic change of those factors will be a long, hard process. Yet that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope.

Finding peer support through local Lawyer Assistance Programs (or through the LegalMind Society) offers the connection that we need and that is so essential to recovery. If being a lonely lawyer sounds all too familiar, please reach out at info@thelegalmindsociety.org or connect with us through the support programs tab above. We’ve been there and we can help.