Stress, Anxiety, and Substance Abuse as a Cause of Impairment in Lawyers

"One of every four lawyers suffers from stress, and out of 105 occupations,
lawyers rank first in depression. In addition, a disproportionate number of
lawyers commit suicide. These are some of the troubling conclusions that
can be found in various studies of addiction and depression." Reports Robert
Stein, ABA Executive Director, in the June 2005 issue of the ABA Journal.

The costs of stress, alcoholism, and drug abuse is very high for the legal
profession. The American Bar Association and all state bar associations
have provided "lawyer assistance programs" that can help to treat
"impaired" lawyers. Most of these programs also address the issues
of clinical depression and disorders related to gambling, sex, and eating.

If you do not realize the significance of this troubling situation, consider
being represented in your important legal matters by an impaired
attorney. It could cost you thousands of dollars or even your freedom
if you or your interests are not protected by competent legal professionals.

In the state of California, there is a requirement for Continuing Legal
Education (CLE's) which includes a minimum of 1 hour every 3 years
on stress management or substance abuse for all licensed, practicing
lawyers to maintain their license to practice law.

The practice of law is inherently stressful. Much of the time lawyers find
themselves battling with other legal professionals for their clients best
interests. Trail lawyers must think quickly and communicate with
precision and skill in the courtroom. Corporate lawyers must be concerned
with legal details that require focused attention and great care.

The competition to be successful as an attorney can lead to stress,
anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

People preparing to become attorneys often struggle with stress in law
school and in the multi-day testing that is required to "pass the bar.
" The stressful issues that can begin in law school can set up future
practicing attorneys for bad habits in coping with the stress and anxiety
of the profession. Some law schools offer coursework for life skill
management to better prepare their students to be able to perform
at the highest level for their clients and for their quality of life.

Because lawyers are trained to be precise and use their cerebral abilities
for day to day work, they are often in denial regarding the needs for
stress and anxiety management until bad habits are established or
symptoms cause significant challenges. Even managing general partners
in major law firms have great professional and personal concerns regarding
"impairment" within their organizations. An accidental mistake or oversight
can open a law firm to their own costly law suits for malpractice.

Many concerned managing partners are requiring that their attorneys
practice preventive measures to control stress, anxiety, and depression.
This can be found in group trainings, EAP's or individual coaching.
Coaching can also offer enhancements to time management, improved
communication skills, and long term career planning. An interesting
and unexpected benefit to this training and coaching is that this preventive
work can actually save lawyers time and energy by helping to minimize
the impact of distractions due to stress. This improves performance and
can help to increase profitability. Key personnel are important assests
and professional coaching or mentoring programs have huge cost benefits.

Everyone, even lawyers, require professional assistance to get through
the difficult periods. Lawyers just seem to require more attention as
they work to survive, at the highest functioning levels, in the "meat grinder"
of their professional life. Most people who know practicing attorneys know
that their attorney family members or friends can benefit from a sense of
humor and better stress management. In increasing frequency, law firms
are using retreats to help de-compress and then get down to business
planning.

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