Krill Strategies announces the publication of innovative new research that will significantly enhance the legal profession's ability to improve lawyer mental health and well-being. This is the first of several forthcoming papers to result from a large research project that Patrick Krill has been leading over the past 18 months.
In collaboration with his study co-author, Dr. Justin Anker from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Patrick worked with the California Lawyers Association (CLA) and the D.C. Bar to survey more than 3,300 of their randomly selected members, ultimately resulting in the generation of significant, alarming, and highly instructive data.
Overall, findings from the study suggest that levels of mental health problems and hazardous drinking continue to be quite high among currently employed attorneys. Women experience more mental health distress, greater levels of overcommitment and work-family conflict, and lower prospects of promotion than men in the legal profession and are more likely to leave as a result.
Furthermore, the findings raise meaningful concerns about the stress levels of both men and women and the possible impact of that stress on the delivery of effective legal services. Through rigorous statistical analyses, the study identified workplace risk factors for and predictors of mental health distress and hazardous drinking.
Fast Facts & Key Findings
· Large, random, bicoastal sample of licensed, currently practicing attorneys
· 3343 individuals completed the in-depth survey. Those not currently employed as practicing attorneys were excluded from the final analysis for this paper, ultimately resulting in a sample size of 2863.
· Levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and hazardous drinking are exceedingly high in the lawyer population
· Roughly half of lawyers are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, with approximately 30% falling in the mild range and just under 20% falling in the moderate-severe range
· Over half of the lawyers screened positive for risky drinking, and 30% screened for high-risk hazardous drinking (interpreted as alcohol abuse or possible dependence)
· Women are experiencing meaningfully worse mental health than men and drinking more hazardously
· Considering the higher rates of mental health distress experienced by female attorneys, an expected but nonetheless troubling result is that 1 in 4 women is contemplating leaving the legal profession due specifically to mental health problems, burnout, or stress. 17% of men report the same thoughts
· Younger lawyers are also experiencing worse mental health
· Younger lawyers were 2-4 times more likely than their older colleagues to report moderate or high stress
· Women scored higher on assessments measuring:
1. Work over-commitment
2. Effort-reward imbalance
3. Work-family conflict
· Women with high work-family conflict are roughly 4.5 times more likely to leave or consider leaving the profession due to mental health, burnout, and stress
· Men report greater perceived likelihood of promotion
· The perceived likelihood of promotion was associated with a lower likelihood of leaving or contemplating leaving the profession due to mental health, burnout, or stress for men, but the same did not hold true for women
· Despite 30% of attorneys screening positive for disordered drinking, only 2% report ever having received an alcohol use disorder diagnosis
· This disparity clearly suggests an extreme level of underdiagnosis and treatment for a widespread problem, possibly owing to pervasive denial, stigma, and a professional culture that normalizes heavy drinking
· Men who reported an increase in drinking due to COVID were almost four times more likely to engage in risky drinking. Women who reported an increase in drinking due to COVID were seven times more likely to drink hazardously. These troubling findings may signal the early manifestation of what will ultimately prove to be a long-term problem for some lawyers, as drinking to cope with negative affect and anxiety can greatly increase the risk of persistent alcohol dependence
· Workplace attitudes and permissiveness towards alcohol significantly influence the likelihood of problematic drinking among attorneys