Most Young Legal Professionals Think Their Jobs Aren’t Good For Their Mental Health

Do you like your job? And before you answer, that is a different question from “Do you feel like your job pays you an adequate amount?” Do you enjoy the work that you do, is it fulfilling, does it have a positive impact on your mental health? If yes, phenomenal! If not — depending on the demographics — you’re in the majority. A recent survey asked legal professionals about the impact that their jobs have had on their mental health and the outcome may surprise you. The ABA Journal has coverage:

Only 36% of surveyed legal professionals, including lawyers, who are ages 18 to 34 said work had a positive effect on mental health. The percentage increased to 43% for those ages 35 to 44, 50% for those ages 45 to 54, and 62% for those ages 55 and older.

The results of the survey have gendered outcomes: half of male lawyers at larger firms report a positive effect while only 35% of female lawyers report the same. Despite being the majority of law firm associates, gender bias could explain some of the discrepancy in workplace satisfaction, not to mention the existential risk that your firm may decide to gut a chunk of parental leave for no clear reason at any time.

There is also a pervasive sense of resentment toward workers in the zeitgeist; quiet quitting has been thought of as a burnout indicator for years, in addition to the very concept coming under scrutiny — the argument being that terms like “quiet quitting” and the like are just PC terms for employees being mad about the expectation of doing unpaid labor:

There’s a case for giving a little leeway for unpaid labor when you’re making north of $250k a year, but that’s neither here nor there. If you’d like to read the study directly, you can find it here.

Only 36% Of Young Legal Professionals Say Work Has Positive Impact On Mental Health, New Survey Finds [ABA Journal]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.