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To an extent there are many things we can do as individuals to promote healthy mental well-being, but this ignores the bigger challenge in the practice of law: the business model. The billable hour system often sets an impossible standard for attorneys, who in order to hit firm minimums, need to work at least 60 hours a week.
On top of this, according to ABA surveys, young attorneys’ greatest dissatisfaction with their legal careers is a lack of connection to the social good. The billable hour system prevents many attorneys from making the pro bono contributions that would have otherwise given them more purpose in their careers.
— Jennie Fagen Malloy, president and founder of wellness consulting firm Lights Camera Kale, commenting on ways the billable hour not only contributes to attorneys’ sometimes poor mental health, but also how the hourly system can prevent them from finding true meaning and purpose in their careers.
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.