How does stress affect lawyers?
Asked by: Catharine Raynor | Last update: September 26, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (60 votes)
The work of a lawyer is very demanding and can therefore cause burnout. As with executives (Leroy-Frémont et al., 2014), when lawyers are faced with a heavy workload, they may experience burnout. Their psychological health is impacted because stressful demands are exhausting (Bakker et al., 2005).
Why is stress common to lawyers?
Most lawyers have had to deal with heavy workloads, high levels of stress, long hours and client pressures since their early careers. In recent times, these contributing factors have increased with the blurring of boundaries facilitated by working from home and technology.
Is being a lawyer high stress?
While lawyers might benefit from having an elite reputation and plenty of cash in the bank, it can also be incredibly stressful. Many attorneys grapple with long hours, difficult clients, and ever-increasing demands daily.
How do lawyers cope with stress?
Take time for yourself
Everyone, even the best lawyers, needs time off to recharge. A comprehensive lawyer stress management plan should always include time away from the office. Take your vacation days and don't check on work while away — your caseload will be waiting for you when you return.
What is the stress level of a lawyer?
Fifty-six percent of lawyers working 50 or more hours per week reported chronic stress compared to 25% of those working up to 50 hours a week.
Tips for Lawyers to Manage Stress and Beat Burnout
Can someone with anxiety become a lawyer?
Feeling introverted, shy, or socially anxious doesn't have to hold you back as a lawyer. Learn to understand yourself and succeed.
What is the most stressful job?
- Physician. National average salary: $272,872 per year Primary duties: Physicians or doctors are medical professionals who treat various diseases and injuries. ...
- Nurse. ...
- Soldier. ...
- Patrol officer. ...
- Anesthesiologist. ...
- Chief executive officer. ...
- Lawyer. ...
- Police officer.
Do lawyers get PTSD?
Prevalence: 11% of lawyers met criteria for PTSD DSM–5. PTSD symptoms, depression, functional impairment, burnout and STS were consistently higher among attorneys than among admin support staff.
What is the burnout rate for lawyers?
While more than eight out of 10 attorneys have experienced burnout at some point, those who say they are most unsatisfied say they feel burnt out 74% of the time, on average—more than twice as frequently as the most satisfied attorneys. Source: Bloomberg Law's Workload and Hours Survey from Q1 2021.
Is being a lawyer mentally draining?
Attorneys don't need to be told that they work in a high-stress environment and are prone to burning out. Lawyers are subject to significant emotional burden, with international research highlighting their susceptibility to psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and — shockingly — even suicide.
Are lawyers more stressed than doctors?
Listokin and Noonan compared Kessler 6 scores from lawyers and medical professionals (medical doctors, veterinarians, and dentists) and concluded that lawyers did endorse slightly higher distress scores than doctors, yet they found no statistically significant difference in the rates of mental illness between the two ...
What personality type is most likely to be a lawyer?
According to a 1993 study conducted by Larry Richard, the most prevalent personality types for lawyers are: ISTJ (17.8 per cent) INTJ (13.1 per cent) ESTJ (10.3 per cent)
Is being a lawyer happy?
On average, lawyers rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.6/5. The majority of lawyers struggle to find any sort of meaning in their work, likely resulting in less satisfaction with the career overall.
How stressful is a lawyer's job?
Fast forward to actually being a lawyer, and in the real world, your job is rewarding but equally demanding. From long hours, managing client personalities, an overwhelming caseload, and pressure to win cases, it's no wonder that being a lawyer also ranks in the top 30 most stressful jobs.
Do lawyers suffer from mental health issues?
Research has shown that lawyers are prone to stress-related illnesses, including burnout, insomnia, clinical depression, gambling addiction, and substance abuse.
Is being a lawyer harder than other jobs?
Lawyers are expected to provide expert advice, make critical decisions, and work under tight deadlines, all while dealing with the constant demands of clients, colleagues, and the court system. This can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression, which are all too common in the legal profession.
What percent of lawyers are unhappy?
Studies find that 75% of lawyers are unhappy in their career. Here are some law-related careers that generally yield greater satisfaction.
Do a lot of lawyers smoke?
Smoking Rates Among Lawyers
However, a CDC study looking at smoking rates by profession showed that only 9.4% of those working in the legal field were current smokers.
Is it hard to fire a lawyer?
The Right to Terminate Your Attorney
Virtually all personal injury cases are undertaken with the agreement that either side can end the relationship for any reason and at any point. If you choose to fire your attorney at any point in the process, you do not need: The court's permission. An agreement with your attorney.
What is the most PTSD prone job?
- Police Officers.
- Firefighters.
- First Responders/Ambulance Personnel.
- Other Healthcare Professionals.
- Photojournalists.
- War Correspondents.
- PTSD and Substance Abuse.
- References:
Can lawyers be depressed?
For young lawyers, roughly 41% of lawyers ages 25 to 34 and 40% of lawyers ages 35-44 report having depression, while about 36% of lawyers ages 45 to 54 said they felt depressed. Meanwhile, depression rates fell to 30% for ages 55 to 64 and 18% for lawyers over 65.
What are the 7 symptoms of PTSD?
- Being easily startled.
- Feeling tense, on guard, or on edge.
- Having difficulty concentrating.
- Having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
- Feeling irritable and having angry or aggressive outbursts.
- Engaging in risky, reckless, or destructive behavior.
What is the most peaceful job?
- Geologist.
- Data Scientist.
- Dental Hygienist.
- Librarian.
- Audiologist.
- Radiation Therapist.
- Software Developer.
- Pharmacy Technician.
Which profession has least stress?
- Art Director. ...
- IT Managers. ...
- Dentist. ...
- Librarian. ...
- Copywriter. ...
- Cartographer. ...
- Software Engineer. ...
- Physical Therapist.
What are the symptoms of excessive stress?
- Aches and pains.
- Insomnia or sleepiness.
- A change in social behavior, such as staying in often.
- Low energy.
- Unfocused or cloudy thinking.
- Change in appetite.
- Increased alcohol or drug use.
- Change in emotional responses to others.