Campaign Targets Substance Abuse, Emotional Strain Among Lawyers

The American Bar Association has launched a campaign to target substance abuse and emotional strain among lawyers, a professional group long plagued by significant mental health issues.

“Lawyers are taught, ‘Your client must come first, your work must come first,’” said Terry Harrell, chair of the ABA Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession. “And yes, sometimes you have to sacrifice your sleep, but overall you have to put your own oxygen mask on first.”

Roughly 21 percent of working lawyers qualify as problem drinkers and 28 percent struggle with some level of depression, a 2016 study by ...