The State of Mental Health in the Legal Profession

Last night was the State of the Union address by President Biden. In light of that, we thought we’d do our own state address looking at the state of mental health in the legal profession.

And it needs to be looked at because the state of mental health in the legal profession is in trouble. Despite more and more firms and offices and even bar associations talking about the importance of mental health in the legal profession, too few actually follow up on it. Words are good, but action matters. Sadly, too often the state of mental health in the legal profession suffers from inaction.

It is inaction that prevents bar associations from removing the mental health questions on the bar exam. It is inaction that keeps bar associations from pushing firms to reduce billable hour requirements in exchange for a better work-life balance. It is inaction that causes too many attorneys to sit back and watch as a colleague struggles. It is inaction that is literally killing legal professionals as too many still die by suicide every year.

Yet it doesn’t have to be all bad news. We here at the LegalMind Society believe the state of mental health in the legal profession, while in trouble, nevertheless has cause for hope. We believe it is getting stronger because more and more people are standing up and talking about this issue. We believe it because more and more are expressing interest in things like work-life balances, in mental health services like what the LegalMind Society offers, and in having open discussions generally. Law schools are starting to introduce options for students to learn about these issues and more and more new attorneys are becoming aware of the issue.

And together, we believe the state of mental health in the legal profession is getting better, slowly but surely. And we hope you will all help us get there.