More and more, the legal industry is focusing on the mental health challenges faced by attorneys. In “Battling an ‘Epidemic’ of Loneliness Among Lawyers,” Tyger Latham is quoted as saying that lawyers enter the profession with the dream of helping people and making society better only to be faced with billable hour requirements, dull, isolating document reviews and constant connectivity to the job. This has resulted in nearly 30% of lawyers dealing with depression and 20% with anxiety, according to a 2016 study by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association. The National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being issued a report titled “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.” Twenty-nine states have established working groups or task forces and have revised regulations related to continuing legal education (CLE) programming and to bar admissions to address wellness issues. May was Mental Health Awareness month and the week of May 4, was designated as Lawyer Well-Being Week, an initiative of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being in conjunction with the American Bar Association. It’s gratifying to see that hundreds of law firms participated across the country.

Legal employers who do not take lawyer well-being seriously are missing out on important opportunities to have better lawyers. I am no stranger to the lawyer-life balance struggle. I work full time at Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. I am raising two children with my attorney husband. But from 2003 to 2019, I was fortunate to be able to work part-time. Over those years, I was an active member and served in the leadership of the Bucks County Bar Association. I was a Board Member of the Central Bucks Family YMCA; now the Doylestown Branch of the YMCA of Bucks County. My flexible schedule also allowed me to make time for physical fitness and exercise. Before gyms were closed by COVID-19 restrictions, I tried to get to the Y at least five days a week. Even now, I train in my basement three to five days a week (it’s not ideal). Exercise saves my mental health, no question. I do not want to gloss over this. Exercise saves me from drinking too much, depression, anxiety and stress.