The societal need for, and value of, lawyers has been officially recognized in Connecticut and the United States since at least 1784, when America’s first law school, the Litchfield Law School, was established. Lawyers ensure all aspects of society—business, government, nonprofit, personal—are functioning in accordance with a set of predefined values related to fairness and efficiency. Lawyers protect us from injustice and preserve our rights and freedoms.

At the same time, the profession is struggling like never before. Research related to lawyer stress, depression, health care utilization and suicide all suggest that law is a particularly stressful profession, and lawyer stress often arises as a result of the nature of the work, especially in combination with common lawyer traits.