Biglaw

Biglaw Associates Continue To Be Incredibly Stressed, Overworked

Their long hours are leading to depression and other mental health issues.

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Being a lawyer is the most stressful yet boring job in the world. I’d never recommend it to anyone. Ever.

— an answer given in response to Legal Week’s job satisfaction survey by a female associate at an international Biglaw firm. The survey of 248 corporate lawyers concluded that 44 percent of the United Kingdom’s top attorneys struggled depression and stress due to their work, with more than half of female respondents saying those mental health issues applied to them. Nearly half (47 percent) of male associates claimed to work more than 50 hours each week, while more than a third (34 percent) of female associates said they worked more than 50 houes each week. “The better you perform the more in demand you are from clients and internally. This means more hours,” said one male associate. “It feels like success at work directly leads to a worsening home life and work/life balance. The worst lawyers in our firm have the best lifestyle.”

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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