Mental health & wellness. A 50-Year Journey Toward Lawyer Well-Being

• Pages: 34-35
• Date: 01 January 2026
• Published date: 01 January 2026
• Author: Erin E. Clifford
• Subject Matter: Civil Law

Published in Litigation News Volume 51, Num ber 2, Winter 202 6. © 2026 by the Amer ican Bar Ass ociation. Rep roduced with pe rmission. A ll rights reser ved. This info rmation or any po rtion thereof

may not be copied o r disseminated i n any form or by any means o r stored in an elec tronic databas e or retrieval system w ithout the expres s written consen t of the American Ba r Association .

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

By Erin E. Cl iord, Litigation News Contribut ing Editor

A 50-Year Journey Toward Lawyer

Well-Being

he legal profession has long been synonymous

with long hours, relentless pressure, and the

“always on” mindset. This is especially true for liti-

gators who have dedicated their careers to attending

court dates, engaging in endless negotiations, and

counseling clients in complex and high-stakes matters. There

is no denying that this type of job is not without its share of

stress. But what has shifted over the last 50 years is our under-

standing of how stress impacts a lawyer’s health, performance,

and longevity in the profession. Equally important is the

growing awareness of strategies that allow lawyers to handle

stress in healthier ways and sustain long, successful careers

without sacrif‌icing quality of life.

Stress may be unavoidable in the legal profession, but it

doesn’t have to come at the expense of one’s well-being. The

conversation around lawyer well-being has shifted from short-

term f‌ixes to prevention, focusing on how the practice of law

can become more sustainable and supportive. How can well-

being be woven into the daily fabric of the profession? Let’s

explore that question, beginning with a look back at the his-

tory of wellness in the legal community to better understand

the path forward.

50 Years Ago: The Old-S chool Approa ch

In the mid-1970s, conversations about lawyers’ mental health

were virtually nonexistent. The culture rewarded grit, stam-

ina, and astronomical billable hours. Many law f‌irms were

steeped in the tradition of having the newest associates prove

themselves through sleepless nights and a punishing workload.

Lawyers were expected to tough it out, as their elder partners

had before them, and there was limited education, knowledge,

and conversation about stress, burnout, or substance use.

A Cultural Shi ft from Sur vival to Sustain ability

By the mid-1980s, the number of legal professionals struggling

with addiction began to rise. In response to this, the American

Bar Association formed a new commission in 1988, known

as the Commission on Impaired Attorneys, which was later

renamed the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs.

The purpose of this initiative was to ensure access and sup-

port for lawyers struggling with mental health and substance

use concerns. The creation of this commission was pivotal

because it represented the f‌irst collective step toward embrac-

ing lawyer well-being. Subsequently, this has led to f‌irms, bar

associations, and law schools investing in wellness initiatives,

including providing mental health programs and wellness

counseling, to support and sustain careers.

The question has evolved from “How can I survive in this

career?” to “How can we build a culture where lawyers thrive,

even when stress is part of the big picture?” While the answer

to this question varies from lawyer to lawyer, some general

strategies can help any lawyer navigate stress and foster resil-

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