A while back, the question of economic recovery was floating around. Were we recovering as a nation? Would there be jobs soon?
It’s hard to say whether or not employment picked up. Many of the unemployed people I knew are still unemployed. Some have seen their hours cut. And those working as contractors are still not full-time employees yet.
But I’ll save the rants on the economy to other posts in my blog from writers who have far more to say on this subject. On my end, I’m going to talk about keeping yourself relevant in a tough job market.
Many industries suffered greatly during the last few years. And I imagine that anyone in the legal industry knows this fact to be true. The legal job market was ravaged, with layoffs and hiring freezes.
I know several associates who were laid off from top firms. Some hung up their own shingles. Others moved to a different city or even country. Some chose alternative careers to law. And some took to contracting.
I’ve addressed this topic on my blog before, but given the high interest shown by readers, I thought I would bring it up again. One huge problem, according to the ABA Journal, is that lawyers remain closeted about the depression they suffer. Perhaps its due to the stigma that attaches to mental disorder. Or perhaps its denial. Whatever the reason, many lawyers chose to battle it out alone. And as a result, resort to substanc abuse.
The California Bar Journal recently published an article, written by Diane Curtis, on the correlation between the practice of law and depression. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that lawyers suffer the highest rate of depression- 19% of lawyers suffer from depression, where only 3-9% of the general population suffers from depression.
The article mentions the “telltale signs” of depression among attorneys, as noted by a member of the Lawyer Assistance Program of the California State Bar. These signs are generally fatigue, low energy and a sense of being overwhelmed. He interestingly enough calls this depression a “creeping paralysis”.
Law has been called a lonely profession, despite the fact that it’s usually such a people-driven profession. Despite the success that can come along with it, it is also a profession with the highest depression rate.
Now, imagine being a solo attorney. I am a solo practitioner. I work as a professional legal journalist at Thomson Reuters by day and as a tax attorney after hours. In the days where I was devoting 100% of my time to being a solo practitioner, I can admit that it got very lonely at times. At least during the first year.
Many firms have implemented supposed “Diversity Initiatives” in recent years as a response to the underepresentation of minorities in the practice of law. How honest are these initiatives? How many firms honestly care about increasing diversity in the workplace? Lately, many firms have been taking supposed pro-active steps to foster an environment that favors diversity. But do the words “equal opportunity employer” on a firm’s website really mean that they intend to hire visible minorities? Does hiring a Diversity Director exonerate a firm from it’s duty to create a true and reflective environment where diversity can thrive?
