There is increased distress among lawyers resulting from a sense of loss of control regarding their own work and life.
There seems to be a sense that they are locked in as lawyers. I frequently hear "If I could do anything else I would." This leads to a belief of lack of control over their lives. In 1993 when I left the practice of law, 17 of 19 lawyers I talked to about the move made similar statements. These were lawyers in their forties.
There seems to be reluctance for lawyers to try new methods or ideas in regards to practicing law. I think this is partly because of the type of person who goes into law, partly because the nature of law is to look to the past to predict the future, and partly because the members are afraid the Law Society will be disapproving of a new idea.
There is a general idea that the Law Society does not promote the well being of lawyers and is a stern watchdog. This also reflects the sense of isolation by lawyers. They do not generally feel supported against clients or against public antipathy. They feel alone.
Most lawyers I speak with have little or no financial planning and many older lawyers have no significant retirement plans. This contributes to the sense of powerlessness and being trapped.
Loss of control is exacerbated by Legal Services when they vary rates, delay payment, and vary entitlement to legal aid. The lawyer experiences loss of control over finances including how to meet overhead and manage cash flow to personal income. This creates great uncertainty and that uncertainty, more than low income, is the biggest complaint I hear from these lawyers.
Many lawyers have difficulty setting boundaries.
They end up with too much work, frequently without proper retainers, or with unreasonable expectations for time or volume. They take clients they don't really want, or work they are not suited for. They have difficulty creating balance in their lives. They often have trouble knowing when enough is enough.
There is a culture within the law that expects and promotes overwork. The nature of the work of lawyers is to have their work reviewed, analyzed and judged and the standard to which lawyers are held is very high. The type of individual who goes into law is often susceptible to overwork and inability to set boundaries.
Research by Brewster indicates that 31.9%
of lawyers come from family systems (parent, spouse or child) with an alcohol
problem compared with, Pharmacists 27.6% and Physicians 25.3%. (And for the
general population 14%). Typical symptoms of people from this type of system
are:
inability to set boundaries
perfectionism
inability to share (or even feel) feelings
striving for achievement (at any cost)
These symptoms are frequently present in the individual lawyers I have met with.
There is an overemphasis in law on rational thought and we tend to forget or become impervious to the emotional and spiritual implications. There is a common idea that knowledge is the answer to everything and many of the lawyers I have talked with define knowledge as objective, provable ideas and information. They feel badly if they are not acting purely rationally.
This can be seen with a problem such as procrastination. The lawyers think if they only get more information they will stop procrastinating. They look to outside sources and information for answers to questions that require self-knowledge and self-awareness. Most lawyers have enough information and knowledge. It is in using it effectively in their own lives that they stumble. The person then tends to exacerbate the situation by trying harder, by becoming more rational.