Big law is a seductive world. Expensed dinners, plush offices. A satisfying climb up a respectable career ladder. And of course, the real clincher: a nice, fat, steady paycheque. We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and it feels utterly insane to question it all. But perhaps there are some questions we really should be asking.
Toxic law
The law industry is waking up to some damning statistics that illustrate things aren’t exactly ok. Suicide rates are higher in the law profession than in others, and the problems start early: 40% of law students graduate with depression, a much higher rate than in other fields of study. Lawyers are literally being trained to accept that emotional overkill is just part of the job. And we are often subjected to the mental strain of feeling trapped and undervalued, even when we are giving more than one human can reasonably give.
Does wealth trump health?
So we must ask ourselves – how much wealth is worth sacrificing our health? What is it we are working towards – the sweet release of retirement, when we could be too fatigued and too diseased to even enjoy the fruits of our labour? Are we really motivated by the accumulation of money and status alone? Statistics from the Harvard Business Review would suggest not – 9 out of 10 people, they found, would accept a pay cut for more meaning at work.
This incredibly high figure would suggest that professionals across all industries need to take a look at what isn’t right about the way we work. With toxic masculinity a hot topic right now, it’s not a stretch to see where the culture of bravado and ‘keeping up with the boys’ has come from, and the legal industry is certainly no exception. As lawyers, we’re expected to simply cope, because that’s the precedent that’s been set.
Show me the meaning
We know the answer. As rational, intelligent lawyers that can spot a hole in an argument at ten paces, we know it. No amount of money is worth trading in our physical and mental health. So really, we need to break down the structures we’re working with and reframe our goals and ambitions, because 90% of the workforce can’t be wrong. It’s not all about money, it’s about the value we feel we’re bringing to society. If big law can adapt with a more holistic and sustainable approach to the profession, we can change the entire legal landscape.
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