what’s ailing lawyers today?
I came across a trio of articles that shed some light on what’s fueling the lawyer burnout and lawyer attrition that’s prevalent in our profession today.
In Lawyers and the Success Trap, we’re told that that achieving in the law can be a double-edged sword. Lawyers typically succeed by devoting themselves to “a particular specialty or focused area of the practice.” This takes many years of intense effort. The lawyer’s dilemma, the piece asserts, is that we end up jettisoning our own fulfillment as we navigate the terrain of job expertise toward our ultimate goal of success.
A second article, titled Problematic Perfectionism, illustrates another aspect of the lawyer’s dilemma. Opening with the assertion that the legal world still requires (and rewards) a mindset of perfectionism, the piece explores the price we pay for our “quest for a flawless existence.” Innovation is one of the identified victims of the quest since our drive to be perfect keeps us from “jumping in and trying new things” and “being creative.” Some think that we should choose to innovate rather than perfect. But others suggest that, if we can’t stand the fire (of perfectionism), we should get out of the legal profession.
Offering yet another perspective on what’s ailing lawyers today is a CareerJounal.com article discussing why Life-Firm Life Doesn’t Suit Some Young Associates. It quotes one expert’s finding that attrition among big firm associates is at an all-time high. Their departure results from a coalescence of factors. Because the road to partnership is “long and arduous” and partners “are working harder than ever,” many associates think that big firm rewards simply aren’t worth the personal sacrifice. Their perspective is fueled by a generational attitude about the importance of having a life and “contributing to the greater good.”
