Self care is imperative for each and every person. Since the stress levels are so high in the law profession , it is imperative to maintain good physical and emotional health.
A counselor at law is much less effective when they are having emotional damages done to their brain and not talking about it. There is a large stigma in the law profession that any sign of trauma is a sign of weakness. Showing emotion is strictly forbidden in court, and this transfers into the law office as well. Since lawyers spend their time fixing other people, they surely don’t need others to help fix themselves.
So they turn to drug and alcohol and unprecedented rates. A study done by Patrick Krill, et. al called the “The Prevalence of Substance use and other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorney’s” found that there were “substantial rates of behavioral health problems … 20.6 [attorney’s] screening positive for hazardous, harmful and potentially alcohol-dependent drinking.”
This problematic thinking starts in law school, with most students feeling their self worth becomes warped with their class rank and how they are performing in school. The alcohol becomes a conduit for relaxation. A lot of law students are type-A personalities with a large quantity of perfectionism thrown in for good measure. AmericanBar.org says many law students show signs of depression, anxiety, hostility and paranoia within 6 months of entering law school.
Law school is extremely expensive; the mean cost is about $43,020. This creates many new lawyers in the pursuit for the best paying job, instead of a facet of law they are passionate about. Once students have put in all of the work in law school, the ideals shift into making money to pay back the debt they are in, instead of following their dream to help people regardless of the cost to do so.
When lawyers begin their career, to win is paramount. The pressure to succeed is not only in getting the most billable hours for your work but also in winning trials against opposing counsel. Climbing the ladder to partner can become the most important thing. Always being available for the bosses by not letting anything come before work.
As advocates for people’s intimate stories, it is easy to transfer their trauma. Not only in criminal cases but also in civil trials, there is an immense pressure to succeed. Being better than yesterday isn’t enough, you need to be better than your competition, who is effectively arguing to discredit the story you are telling and to dismantle the picture you are painting.
This interesting juxtaposition creates a culture where you value your competition and let it fuel you to become the best lawyer possible, but the pressure can be crippling to be the best.
In an article titled “The Lawyer, the Addict” the author quotes Wil Miller, a sex crime prosecutor, who said “Being a surgeon is stressful, for instance — but not in the same way. It would be like having another surgeon across the table from you trying to undo your operation. In law, you are financially rewarded for being hostile.”
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