Looks at well-being challenges, mental health treatment, alcohol usage.

In 2016, the ABA report Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys sampled 12,825 licensed, employed attorneys completed surveys, assessing alcohol use, drug use, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Substantial rates of behavioral health problems were found, with 20.6% screening positive for hazardous, harmful, and potentially alcohol-dependent drinking. Levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among attorneys were significant, with 28%, 19%, and 23% experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The “parade of difficulties” included suicide, social alienation, work addiction, sleep deprivation, job dissatisfaction, a “diversity crisis,” complaints of work-life conflict. Younger lawyers in the first ten years of practice experienced the highest rates of problem drinking and depression.

The report propelled conversation, investment, and advancement in lawyer well-being. It was followed in 2017 by The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.  Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, and in 2018 by the Well Being Toolkit for Lawyers and Legal Employers.

The latest report, 2024 Well-Being Report: The Divide Between Health & the Legal Industry, can be downloaded here. In this data-driven report, Bloomberg Law analysts combine data from the bi-annual Workload & Hours Survey and Bloomberg Law’s exclusive Attorney Well-Being Survey to provide information in understanding attorney well-being. The report explores the disconnect between the importance attorneys place on well-being and how “well” attorneys actually are.

Here are some notable finding within this report:

• 4 in 10 respondents indicated that their well-being stayed about the same, while more respondents indicated that their well-being at least slightly improved (31%) than those who said it had at least slightly worsened (26%).
• Attorneys felt burned out almost half of the time at work in the second half of 2023. And with the average number of hours worked every week hovering just around 50 during this period, it comes as no surprise.
• Female attorneys said they experienced more burnout in their jobs (53% of the time) than male attorneys reported (41%).
• Respondents who have children under the age of 18 in the home experienced more burnout (50%) than those who do not (46%).
• Despite saying that they took an average of nine days off during the second half of 2023, over three-quarters of the respondents said that they worked on about half (or more) of their days off. Though, on a positive note, respondents also report spending, on average, 6.9 hours per week on self-care, a number which has continued to increase in the past two years—though self-care hours for female attorneys (6.4) still lag behind the hours for male attorneys (7.7).
• Attorneys are experiencing disrupted sleep and anxiety at majority levels, which can lead to a slew of mental and physical health issues and prevent them from performing at the levels desired by their firms and clients.
• From trouble focusing, to imposter syndrome, to feelings of loneliness and isolation, most attorneys expressed dealing with at least one such issue this year.
• The challenges most frequently selected by attorney were “trouble focusing on work tasks” and an “inability to disconnect from work”—almost half of the respondents said these were issues.