Be Well, 0820 WYBJ, Vol. 43 No. 4. 56

• Author: Maryt L Fredrickson, Ninth Judicial District Court & 307 Yoga LLC Jackson, Wyoming
• Position: Vol. 43 4 Pg. 56

Be Well

No. Vol. 43 No. 4 Pg. 56

Wyoming Bar Journal

August, 2020

Wellness at the Law School: A Foundation for the Future of the Profession

Maryt L Fredrickson, Ninth Judicial District Court & 307 Yoga LLC Jackson, Wyoming

The stress of law school has not changed over the decades. In some ways, modern law school could be more stressful in some ways than it was in the analog eras. Law schools around the country have noticed and taken steps in recent years to support student wellness. The University of Wyoming College of Law is no exception. The College of Law’s wellness efforts are essential not only for the success of law students but for the profession. Many of the issues that plague the profession—depression, insufficient stress management, and alcohol and substance abuse— begin in law school. Establishing a foundation in wellness at the earliest steps of a law career is an important step to battling chronic unwellness in the profession.

History and Studies

The levels of stress experienced in law school has never been a secret. Alcohol and substance abuse rates in law schools have also been well known, at least anecdotally. Suicide rates have also been known, although at some schools those rates are higher than others. About five years ago, some studies began to be conducted, providing empirical data that served as a wakeup call for law schools and the legal profession nationwide.^[1]

Studies consistently showed elevated depression, stress, anxiety, substance abuse, and alcohol dependence among law students compared with other graduate student populations. A particularly alarming report came from the Dave Nee Foundation which reported stress rates among law students as high as 96%, compared to 70% among medical students and only 43% among other graduate programs.^[2] Studies show that when law students enter law school, they have the same depression rate as the rest of the population, about 8 percent. After only one semester, that rate is 27%; after two semesters the rate is 34%; and by the end of the three-year program, the depression rate among law students is 40%.

Phycological distress, dissatisfaction, substance abuse, and depression then follow students into the practice of law. Chronic stress is a trigger for clinical depression. Lawyers are one of the most clinically depressed professions, with rates 3.6 times higher than other professions.^[3] Alcohol dependence...