NEVER BETTER? - At no point in the history of law firms has mental health and wellness been talked about as much as it was in the past three years. Still, the looming question is one whose answer may be too early to call, but which ought to be investigated anyway: Why aren’t people feeling any better? As Law.com’s Dan Roe reports, that’s the unfortunate implication within The American Lawyer’s 2023 survey of mental health in the legal profession, which asked nearly 3,000 lawyers a host of questions about their mental wellness and how it related to their law firms’ policies and culture. You can explore the data behind TAL’s fourth annual Mental Health Survey in this detailed infographic. The full data set is on Law.com Compass. If you or a loved one is experiencing thoughts of suicide, text 988 to be connected to a trained crisis counselor.
SEEING RED - When the talent market heats up and competition is fierce, law firms in a hurry to hire tend to fall into more due diligence don’ts—and that can be dangerous. Nearly one-third of all lateral candidates in 2022 tracked by Decipher Investigative Intelligence came with different types of “red flags.” Recruiters and consultants told Law.com’s Justin Henry that the higher incidence of red flags in recent years is likely a byproduct of firms broadening the candidate pool from which they hire, combined with pandemic-era hiring norms of remote onboarding. Levinson said a lack of cultural fit and personality conflicts are the story behind most failed lateral hires. But cultural compatibility has been harder to gauge during a period of remote work. “Sometimes they don’t get along well with partners in the department,” Levinson said. “As people get back into the office, they wonder if this is a great firm to work with from a cultural standpoint.”
