In May 2021 the journal PLOS ONE published a study with a blunt title: "Stress, drink, leave". Its authors, Justin Anker of the University of Minnesota Medical School and Patrick Krill, a consultant on lawyer well-being, surveyed 2,863 working lawyers who were members of the California Lawyers Association and the District of Columbia Bar. About half were women.
What they found
- Long hours. Two-thirds worked more than 40 hours a week, and almost a quarter more than 51.
- Stress. Younger lawyers were two to four times more likely than older colleagues to report moderate or high stress. High work overcommitment was linked to stress for both sexes, more strongly for women.
- Drinking. 30% screened positive for high-risk hazardous drinking, though only 2% had a diagnosed alcohol use disorder. 56% of women and 46% of men reported risky drinking; 34% of women and 25% of men screened positive for high-risk or hazardous drinking.
- Leaving. 24% of women and 17% of men were considering leaving the law because of mental health, burnout or stress. Women with high work-family conflict were four and a half times more likely to be leaving or considering leaving.
Limitations
The survey was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic, which may have raised stress and drinking. It relied on self-reporting and did not ask about help-seeking. Participants were not a random sample of all US lawyers.
Why it matters
The findings fit a long line of research showing high rates of problem drinking, depression and anxiety in the legal profession, and they suggest that the costs fall unevenly. If women are leaving because of work-family conflict, the profession loses experienced lawyers, and the gender gap at senior levels widens. Our article on hybrid work and gender parity looks at one response.
Lawyer assistance programmes, run by bar associations in most US states and by bodies such as LawCare in the UK and Ireland, offer confidential support.