Some Observations of the Legal Profession
The most common complaint expressed within the legal profession is a lack of meaning or sense of fulfillment from work.
This is stated more directly by older practitioners as boredom, lack of job satisfaction, just getting through each day, turning out work without time to contemplate, turning out product for clients like a machine, and lack of connection to clients, which is often expressed as lack of client loyalty. Legal professionalism has been eroded by the need for volume, speed and uniformity of work product.
The younger practitioners tend to express this lack of meaning or sense of fulfillment differently. They ask, "What good am I doing?" They express a lack of control over work or life. They worry about the demands of clients, and that there is little opportunity for them to utilize creative thinking. They also ask if they can have a life and practice law, or is the practice of law all consuming? Women ask the additional question "Can I have a family and children?"
Even though many of the people I see aren't making much money, not one person has had lack of money as the number one complaint. Some mention it as an indication of hard work for low return and frustration.
A common statement is that people like much of the actual legal work, such as research, interviewing clients and witnesses, trials, preparing documents and advising clients. Often, though, they feel overwhelmed by the business and by the procedural details or paper trail exercises required. Many have expressed doubts about our legal system. There seems to be doubt that Justice is being served.
Another common complaint is isolation.
Lawyers who have been around awhile complain that collegiality has eroded if not ended. There is little of the old hanging around in the barristers' rooms or coffee shops anymore.
Participants of the various seminars offered by the L.A.P. enjoy the opportunity to relate with other lawyers in a less postured and more personal way. Their most common feedback is "I didn't know so many others had similar thoughts or felt the same way.”
Very frequently lawyers are reluctant to talk to a fellow lawyer, even a partner or associate, about personal problems. They seem inexperienced at having any kind of personal (non-professional) interaction. When distressed lawyers call me, I am often the first person they have ever talked to about their problems.
Young lawyers and articling students seem to be given files with little supervision and also are reluctant to ask for help. I note that a manifestation of this is that few trail lawyers take articling students or junior lawyers along to junior at trials. This probably applies to other areas of practice also.
This may be related to a problem I see building with older lawyers. The older lawyers are now expected to bill like every one else and they have little time or energy for mentoring. I think this contributes to loss of job satisfaction and a sense of meaning for the older lawyers, and a breakdown in the mentoring system that helped younger lawyers learn about Law as a profession.