Mental health of law students has become a major issue in many law schools today. An earlier article sounded the alarm. I’ve reproduced some excerpts from that article. This is extremely important. Corrective action in law school as well as the profession has already begun. But many students continue to suffer — especially newer women and minorities.  More needs to be done.  I know this first-hand. My husband has been a law professor for many years and my two kids (son and daughter) are now lawyers working in public service with federal agencies. I worked at one time at a university helping students with mental health issue.

• It’s no secret that the legal profession can often be a high-pressure working environment; lawyers are the second most stressed professionals in the country. Some universities are therefore taking steps to help students better cope with academic pressures and the transition from legal education to a career as a lawyer.

• Despite the profession making loud noises about the importance of improving mental health among students and graduates, the reality is junior lawyers remain overworked 17% of young lawyers are working 48 hours or more, with statutory minimum of 20 days and training contracts are being used to deliver services blighted by gaps in public funding.

• The workaholic culture appears to start at university. Unlike their cohorts, law students had very little free time to pursue activities unrelated to the profession. Anything legal students did outside of their studies was related to law.

• In a separate study of millennial lawyers, reported similar struggles to find a work-life balance. Junior lawyers also admitted they felt that university didn’t prepare them enough for the level of stress in the profession, and the study heard stories of trainees not sleeping or crying in the office toilets. 

• Career pressure starts early for law students – here’s how to cope. Competition at university for academic and professional prowess, as well as a culture of perfectionism, exacerbates this pressure. Students were comparing themselves to others and then feeling deficient, like they were the only ones who didn’t understand something or were the only ones who were struggling.

• Don’t go it alone. If you are in work and feeling overwhelmed, definitely go and speak to a colleague. Confide in someone and tell them how you are feeling and see if you can get additional support.

• Remind yourself of all the achievements you have had and make a realistic plan for how you are going to get through it all. Most importantly, many people feel this way. You won’t be the only person who has ever felt like that.

                     “Mental Health and Law Students.” The Guardian (2019).