Challenging economic times – particularly the deep, prolonged recession in which many law firms find themselves – elevate the mental health risks for law firms. Although lawyers sometimes display more effective coping mechanisms, because of the need for problem-solving and resourcefulness in their practices, they are as vulnerable as anyone else.
Law firms can take highly effective preventive measures to promote a personally supportive workplace culture, healthy relationships within the firm, and the ability to respond to even the most urgent business crises promptly, efficiently, and in a way that helps the firm and its people to manage the stress.
To learn more about what law firms must do to identify the risks and take appropriate action, click here to download Recession, Depression, and the Legal Profession: Depression and Related Risks of Substance Abuse and Suicidal Behavior in Law Firms.
This paper, which I first presented at the Annual Conference of the International Bar Association in Madrid, Spain, in 2009, should be required reading for every managing partner of a law firm.
Lisa M. Walker Johnson
