The Belief in Doing Well by Doing Good
Author | John P. Box Jr. |
Pages | 111-124 |
111
8
The Belief in Doing
Well by Doing Good
The happiest lawyers in America are the lowest paid. That seemingly
counterintuitive conclusion was revealed in a 2015 study published in
the George Washington Law Review.1 Researchers surveyed more than
6,200 lawyers across several states and found zero correlation between
happiness and well-being, on one hand, and high-income and partner-
track legal careers on the other hand.2 Instead, the researchers found that
the happiest attorneys in the study were public defenders and Legal Aid
attorneys—that is, those with the smallest paychecks. Specifically, the
researchers found:
Attorneys in large firms and other prestigious positions were
not as happy as public service attorneys, despite the far better
. . . pay of the former group; and junior partners in law firms
1. Lawrence S. Krieger & Kennen M. Sheldon, What Makes Lawyers Happy?: A Data-Driven Prescription
to Redefine Professional Success, 83 G. W. L. R. 554, 554 (2015).
2. Douglas Quenqua, Lawyers with Lowest Pay Report More Happiness, N.Y. T, May 12, 2015.
box50388_08_c08_111-124.indd 11111/3/17 4:28 PM
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting

Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting

Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting

Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting

Start Your 3-day Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
