It’s not easy being a new lawyer. You start your
career saddled with debt and, all too often these days, no job. It’s
enough, we imagine, to cause more than a few sleepless nights.
The Wisconsin state bar thought the issue warranted a bit of attention, and has just issued a report on its findings. (Hat tip: TaxProf Blog)
The folks behind the study started out with handful of simple
questions, lodged to more than 200 newbie lawyers. Among them: “Please
feel free to tell us anything about the challenges you face as a new
lawyer.”
The answers weren’t pretty. They included:
— “Even though I’ve had a job for the past five months, I don’t feel
like I have any job security, and I’m terrified of being back in the job
market.”
— “My debt is higher than a mortgage for a nice house. It’s all I
think about. And I know I will be strapped in a job I don’t want paying
debt for the rest of my life.”
— “I’m buried under debt. I’m terrified that this is what the rest of
my life is going to look like. I’m also scared to start my own
practice, because I don’t have the practical litigation experience. I
can’t afford a pet, let alone kids. I live paycheck to paycheck. It’s
very, very scary and disheartening.”
Another lawyer admitted to feeling “suicidal” and “terrified.” According to this recap of the study (which itself sits behind a paywall),
that lawyer “also feels alone and scared of making a mistake in
practice but is hesitant to tell anyone about these mental struggles for
fear of being disbarred.”
Said Arthur Harrington, a co-chairman of the task force: young
lawyers “are facing a depression, both economically and emotionally.”
Some of the recommendations offered by the task force: lower the cost
of continuing legal education programs; create more opportunities for
younger lawyers to be mentored; and help younger lawyers with “practice
management” and “business training.”
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