Practicing law is a high-stress occupation characterized by a high level of responsibilities, risks and rewards. Client trust and confidence is essential to a lawyer just as trust and confidence on the part of other lawyers and judges is vital. Much of what lawyers do takes place in private without close scrutiny and with a large measure of autonomy.
With the expanding scope of information and communication technology, more and more of what lawyers do involves using technology with correspondingly less person-to-person contact. In some communities, the personal and professional bonds among lawyers have weakened in the face of economic competition, increasing specialization, as well as less personal contact. Law firm demographics have changed radically during the past few decades, notably in urban areas. Many firms have evolved into massive national law firms with a central location and numerous satellite offices with lowered decision making authority.
