The Attorneys’ Psychologist (Part 1)

Why are so many lawyers in therapy, and are lawyers good clients for therapists? A lawyer turned clinical psychologist tackles these topics and more.

Dr. N. Robert Riordan is a graduate of NYU School of Law and a former U.S. securities attorney for London- and Sydney-based Herbert Smith Freehills. After 10 years of practice in New York, London and Rome, he made the switch from corporate law to private practice as a clinical psychologist. Dr. Riordan now acts as a therapist to dozens of NYC attorneys. The following is the first of a two-part interview with Dr. Riordan.

ATL: The most obvious question first – why the switch from law to clinical psychology?

The short answer is: I grew up. I went to law school when I was 21 years old, and I went with the belief that a law degree would serve me well no matter what I ultimately opted to do in my professional life. I never intended to practice securities law for a decade, but the work was interesting and I was given the opportunity to live in some fascinating places. In time, and with the help of a therapist, I discovered my true professional interests.

ATL: Did you set out to work with attorneys when you started your private practice?

Throughout graduate school, because I was older and a former attorney, I was assigned to work with many professionals as clients. While I have a diverse array of clients, the majority are doctors, lawyers and bankers. We speak the same language.

ATL: Our readers will want to know why attorneys are seeking therapy. Can you discuss this topic?

Sponsored

For the most part, attorneys – myself included – share a similar psychology. We were told as children that we were gifted. We then made life choices based on external markers of success – for instance, a prestigious college, then a competitive law school. We then competed to join a leading firm and to distinguish ourselves. Yet, somewhere along the way, despite all of our accomplishments, we lost sight of ourselves as individuals.

So I see many attorneys who say that, despite all their success, they feel hollow. They are not in touch with their passions; life just feels like a long, joyless “to do” list. My clients want to connect, often for the first time, with their unique interests. This often helps them resolve a long-standing feeling of flatness as well as some interpersonal problems (for instance, tension with a spouse who claims that his or her attorney partner is always “checked out”).

ATL: So you feel that you have real insight into the personality of the attorney?

I do very well with clients who are skeptical of therapy. Many skeptics, when they consider therapy, have this image of a well-meaning woman in a floral dress, who will hand them a box of tissues on arrival. Or they think that they will encounter a bearded man who will stare silently at them for the hour. I am neither. I am a very results-oriented, interactive therapist. I want my clients to experience meaningful change as rapidly as possible, and I want them to leave treatment having a better sense of their interests and motivations.

ATL: So what is your therapeutic approach with attorneys?

Sponsored

The answer is twofold: first, I help my clients understand their contribution to their current challenges. We are often so close to our own dilemmas that we are not able to see our how we perpetuate them. Second – for lawyers, in particular – we address fluctuations in self-esteem. Many attorneys report that one day they can feel on top of the world; however, the next day they may be feeling depleted, hollow or fraudulent.

My clients are looking for a fuller life – a life beyond repetitive achievement. Many attorneys come to realize that no one cares which firm they work for or how much money they make. They have grown to appreciate that there must be more to life. They want to explore the things, other than professional success, that define them.

ATL: Are attorneys good clients?

Yes and no. For the most part attorneys have well-developed analytic minds, a real asset in therapy. However, many attorneys arrive with the hope that the therapist is going to fix them and send them on their way. The reality is that successful therapy takes work. Many attorneys have been prized their entire life for their intellect; I help my clients undertake the hard work of shifting their focus so that they can access and then trust their emotional lives. Emotions are just sign posts; they tell us which direction to go in life. When a client gains full access to his or her emotional life, he or she becomes more in control of life, not less.

ATL: Are most of your clients junior attorneys who are overworked and undervalued?

While I work with a handful of junior attorneys, the majority of attorneys with whom I work are senior associates and partners. The senior associates are often grappling with the transition to partnership, and the partners are often grappling with the immense pressure of performing in a brutal economy.

ATL: Do you find that the end result of treatment is that the attorneys often leave the practice of law?

The only consistent outcome of therapy is change. Whatever the change, personal or professional, the attorneys with whom I work emerge with a deeper sense of themselves and their true priorities in life.

ATL: Which job do you like better – attorney or psychologist?

It took me seven years to get my doctorate. So I am pleased to say that I am in the right profession now.


In the second part of the interview with Dr. Riordan, he will discuss his work as a mediator. We thank him for taking the time to chat with us.

Dr. N. Robert Riordan is in private practice, and he has offices on both the east and west sides of Manhattan. He can be reached at drriordan@live.com.