The Big Problem With Biglaw Mental Health Initiatives

Perhaps what's most depressing is the fact that nothing will ever change.

onApril 27, 2020 at 5:30 PMApril 27, 2020 at 3:47 PM

Law firms realize the problem mental health issues present, and are making progress towards tackling the consequences, but are completely failing to take preventative action to stop the issues arising in the first place. [Biglaw] firms will continue happily running associates into the ground, and then offering them therapy.

— an anonymous respondent to ALM’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Survey, offering insight on exactly where law firm mental health programs are going wrong. Respondents criticized billable hours requirements and unrealistic deadlines as some sources of the legal sector’s mental health meltdown.

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Staci 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.