Research Data Bank

Literature on Substance Use and Mental Health Issues in the Legal Profession
 

• Pamela Bucy Pierson, Ashley Hamilton, Michael Pepper, Megan Root, Stress Hardiness and Lawyers, Journal of the Legal Profession, Vol. 42, 2018 U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3120491.
• 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (September 2017)
  
• Preventing suicide among men in the middle years: Recommendations for suicide prevention programs. Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Waltham, MA: Education Development Center, Inc. (2016).
• Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D., Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance of Law Students to Seek Help for Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns, Journal of Legal Education, Vol. 66 No. 1 (Autumn 2016).
• Lambert, Caralee (August 2016) A Perspective From Bar Counsel’s Office: Addressing Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues. Idaho State Bar, The Advocate, pg. 31.
• Krill, Patrick R. JD, LLM; Johnson, Ryan MA; Albert, Linda MSSW (February 2016) The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys. Journal of Addiction Medicine. Volume 10 - Issue 1 - p 46–52
• Jane A. Weiss M.D., ASAM, ABAM (Winter 2016) Addiction and Treatment in a Professional Population. The Mississippi Lawyer, pg. 30. 
• Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D. (December 2015) Helping Law Students Get the Help They Need: An Analysis of Data Regarding Law Students’ Reluctance to Seek Help and Policy Recommendations for a Variety of Stakeholders. The Bar Examiner.
• Krill, Patrick (May-June 2015) The Impaired Professional, Part II The Attorney as Client: Insights for Understanding an Especially Challenged and Challenging Population. Counselor Magazine.
• Krieger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M. (February 2015) What Makes Lawyers Happy?: A Data-Driven Prescription to Redefine Professional Success.The George Washington Law Review, Vol. 83 No. 2.
• Blanc, Tara A. and Merrill, Bruce D. (November 2014) Stress, Ethics, Professionalism Top Attorney Concerns. Arizona Attorney.

Krieger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M. (February 20, 2014) What Makes Lawyers Happy? Transcending the Anecdotes with Data from 6200 Lawyers. FSU College of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 667.

Brafford, Anne, Adkins, Sandra and Sanford, Jill (2014) Wellness Booster Kit.

Mauney, Stuart C. The Lawyers’ Epidemic: Depression, Suicide and Substance Abuse. South Carolina Bar HELP Task Force.

Rothstein, Laura (2008) Law Students and Lawyers with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Problems: Protecting the Public and the Individual. University of Pittsburgh Law Review, Vol 69:531.

Huang, Peter and Swedloff, Rick (2008) Authentic Happiness & Meaning At Law Firms. Syracuse Law Review, Forthcoming; Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-52.

Pfeiffer, Sacha (June 27, 2007) Law and a disorder: As profession changes, support group sees more attorneys seeking mental health help. The Boston Globe.

Silver, Marjorie A. (2004) Substance Abuse, Stress, Mental Health, and the Legal Profession. Touro Law Center for the New York State Lawyer Assistance Trust.

Barnett, Martha W. (2001) Integrating Treatment into the Justice System. American Bar Association: GP/Solo, 18(5).

Jones, Nancy Byerly (2001) The Dangerous Link Between Chronic Office Chaos, Stress, Depression, and Substance Abuse. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 18(5).  

Seligman, Martin E., Verkuil, Paul R., & Hang, Terry H. (2001) Why Lawyers are Unhappy. Cardozo Law Review, 23:33.

Schiltz, Patrick, J (1999) On Being a Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession. Vanderbilt Law Review, 52:874-81

Jones, Don P. and Crowley, Michael J. (1998) Depression and suicide: Make sure you don't utter those words. American Bar Association Bar Leader, March-April 1998 (16).

Sweeney, Michael J. (March-April 1998) The Devastation of Depression. American Bar Association Bar Leader (11).

Benjamin, G., Sales, B & Darling, E (1992) Comprehensive Lawyer Assistance Programs, Justification and Model, Law & Psychology Review, 16:113-136.

Benjamin, G.A, Darling, E.J., and Sales, B. (1990) The Prevalence of Depression, Alcohol Abuse and Cocaine Abuse Amongst United States Lawyers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 13(3):233-246.

Benjamin, G. Andrew H.; Kaszniak, Alfred; Sales, Bruce; Shanfield, Stephen B (Spring 1986) The Role of Legal Education in Producing Psychological Distress among Law Students and Lawyers. American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 11(2):225-252.

Lesnick, Howard; Seitelman, Jeffrey K; and Benjamin S. Siegel. (February 1986) Lawyers and Doctors Face the Perils of Practice. The Hastings Center Report, 16(1):46.

Zimmeran, Isaiah M. (Winter 2000) Isolation in the Judicial Center, Court Review Issue 36-4

Research on Attorney Satisfaction
 

Krieger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M. (February 2015) What Makes Lawyers Happy?: A Data-Driven Prescription to Redefine Professional Success.The George Washington Law Review, Vol. 83 No. 2.

Krieger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M. (February 20, 2014) What Makes Lawyers Happy? Transcending the Anecdotes with Data from 6200 Lawyers. FSU College of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 667.

Jolly-Ryan, Jennifer (2009) Promoting Mental Health In Law School: What Law Schools Can Do For Law Students To Help Them Become Happy, Mentally Healthy Lawyers. University of Louisville Law Review, 48:95.

Markovic, Milan & Gabriele, Plickert (2017) Attorneys' Career Dissatisfaction in the New Normal. Texas A&M University School of Law Reserarch Paper No. 17-47.

Syverud, K., & Schiltz, P. (1999) On being a happy, healthy, and ethical member of an unhappy, unhealthy, and unethical profession. Vanderbilt Law Review, 52(4):869-951.

Alcohol and Drug Issues in the Legal Profession

Virtanen Marianna, Jokela Markus, Nyberg Solja T, Madsen Ida E H, Lallukka Tea, Ahola Kirsi et al. (2015) Long working hours and alcohol use: systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data BMJ 2015; 350:g7772

Attorneys and Substance Abuse. Butler Center for Research (September 2012)

Edwards, Timothy D. & Van Rybroek, Gregory (2007) Addiction and Attorneys: Confronting the Denial, Wisconsin Lawyer.

McAlpin, Cindy (2006) Bumps in the Road III: Out of the Shadows Women and Addiction. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 23(8).

Greiner, Mary (2001) Demystifying 12-Step Programs. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 18(5).

Shore, Elsie (2001) Relationships Between Drinking and Type of Practice among U.S. Female and Male Attorneys. Journal of Social Psychology, 141(5):650-659.

Allan, Rick (1997) Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Lawyers: Are We Ready to Address the Denial? Creighton Law Review, 31(1).  

Beck, Connie; Sales, Bruce; and Benjamin, Andrew (1995) Lawyer Distress: Alcohol-Related Problems and Other Psychological Concerns Among a Sample of Practicing Lawyers. Journal of Law and Health, 10(1).

Drogin, Eric (1991) Alcoholism in the Legal Profession: Psychological and Legal Perspectives and Interventions. Law & Psychology Review, 15. 

Bloom, Michael A & Carol Lynn Wallinger (1988) Lawyers and Alcoholism: Is it Time for a New Approach? Temple Law Review, 61:1409.

Depression in the Legal Profession

Benzoni, Jim (2012) Depression: The Soul Speaks. The Iowa Lawyer, 72(6).  

State Bar of Montana (2012) Special Issue on Lawyers, Depression, and Suicide. Montana Lawyer, 37(8).  

Pulliam, Page Thead (2008) Lawyer Depression: Taking a Closer Look at First-Time Ethics Offenders. The Journal of the Legal Profession, 32:289.

Hagan, John and Kay, Fiona (March 2007) Even Lawyers Get the Blues: Gender, Depression, and Job Satisfaction in Legal Practice. Law & Society Review, 41(1):51-78.   

Goren, T., & Smith, B. (2001). Depression as a mitigating factor in lawyer discipline. Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, 14(4):1081-1098.

Syverud, K., & Schiltz, P. (1999) On being a happy, healthy, and ethical member of an unhappy, unhealthy, and unethical profession. Vanderbilt Law Review, 52(4):869-951.

Eaton, W., Anthony, J. C., Mandell, W. M., & Garrison, R. A. (1990). Occupations and the prevalence of major depressive disorder. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 32(11):1079-1087

Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession

Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (2011) A Traumatic Toll on Lawyers and Judges. In Sight for Oregon Lawyers and Judges, 80.

Levin, Andrew; Albert, Linda; Besser, Avi; Smith, Deborah; Zelenski, Alex; Rosenkranz, Stacey; and Neria, Yuval (2011) Secondary Traumatic Stress in Attorneys and Their Administrative Support Staff Working With Trauma-Exposed Clients. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(12): 946-55.  

Murray, D. C., & Royer, J. M. (2008) The cost of justice: a desk manual on vicarious trauma. Vcarious traumatization: The corrosive consequences of law practice for criminal justice and family law practitioners. Canadian Bar Association Legal Profession Assistance Conference

Stress and Burnout in the Legal Profession

Schenker, Marc, Eaton, Muzza, Green, Rochelle & Samuels, Steven (1997) Self-Reported Stress and Reproductive Health of Female Lawyers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 39(6):556-568.

Jackson, Susan; Turner, Jon A.; Brief, Arthur P. (Oct. 1987) Correlates of Burnout Among Public Service Lawyers. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 8(4):339-349.  

Gambling in the Legal Profession

Chadwick, Meloney Crawford (2004) Bumps in the Road II. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 21(7).

Ashe, Paul R (2001) Other Bumps in the Road: Gambling. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, Volume 18, Number 5.

Law Students and Mental Health

Bender, Katherine M., Jaffe, David B. and Organ, Jerome M. (December 2015) Helping Law Students Get the Help They Need: An Analysis of Data Regarding Law Students’ Reluctance to Seek Help and Policy Recommendations for a Variety of Stakeholders. The Bar Examiner, Vol. 84, No. 4.

Falling Through the Cracks: A Report on Mental Health at Yale Law School. Yale Law School Mental Health Alliance, December 2014

Clarke, Brian S. (August 1, 2014) Coming Out In The Classroom: Law Professors, Law Students and Depression. Charlotte School of Law; Washington & Lee University School of Law

Austin, Debra S. (2014) Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die From Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking Can Optimize Cognitive Performance. Loyola Law Review, Vol. 59: 791-860.

Jolly-Ryan, Jennifer (2009) Promoting Mental Health In Law School: What Law Schools Can Do For Law Students To Help Them Become Happy, Mentally Healthy Lawyers. University of Louisville Law Review, 48:95.

Kreiger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M. (September 2002). Does Legal Education Have Negative Effects on Law Students? Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values, and Well-Being. FSU College of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 65.

Maloney, Bridget A (2001) Distress Among the Legal Profession: What Law Schools Can Do About It. Thomas J. White Center on Law & Government Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Polic, 15:307.

McKinney, Ruth Ann (2000) Depression and Anxiety in Law Students: Are We Part of the Problem and Can We Be Part of the Solution? The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute Conference. July 19-22.  

Boston, Gerald W (1997) Chemical Dependency in Legal Education: Problems and Strategies, 76 Mich. B.J. 298-301.

Executive Summary of the Report of the Association of American Law School’s Special Committee on Problems of Substance Abuse in Law Schools, 44 J. Legal Educ. 35-80 (1994)

Ass’n of American Law Schools Comm. (1993) Report of the AALS Special Committee on the Problem of Substance Abuse in Law Schools.  

Benjamin, G. Andrew H; Kaszniak, Alfred; Sales, Bruce; Shanfield, Stephen. (Spring 1986). The Role of Legal Education in Producing Psychological Distress among Law Students and Lawyers. American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 11(2):225-252.

Carroll, Don. Law and Addiction Outline from "Legal Education and Alcohol" presented at the 15^th Annual National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs

Dammeyer, Matthew and Narina Nunez. Anxiety and Depression among Law Students: Current Knowledge and Future Directions. Law and Human Behavior, 23(1):55-73.