More than one in three associate attorneys have had to deal with loneliness recently, according to survey data from Bloomberg Law. But there are ways that law firms can help attorneys break through this isolation and build meaningful connections at work.
Bloomberg Law’s most recent Workload and Hours Survey asked more than 1,000 attorneys whether they faced any challenges in the preceding 12-month period, including loneliness. Approximately 24% of all participants reported dealing with isolation or loneliness.
The statistic hints at a troubling reality for all attorneys—but particularly when the data is broken down further between associates and partners.
The group with the highest percentage of respondents feeling lonely was senior associates (39%), followed by mid-level associates (32%) and junior associates (31%). All together, 34% of associate respondents said they dealt with loneliness or isolation in the past 12 months, compared with only 20% of partner respondents who said the same.
For the legal profession generally—and particularly for early to mid-career professionals and those looking to grow and mentor them—these numbers are worrisome. A feeling of isolation is the exact opposite of the type of environment that most legal organizations are hoping to provide their employees. Further, loneliness may exacerbate other mental or physical health conditions.
In his groundbreaking 2023 report, Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk, legal mental health researcher Patrick Krill detailed the connection between loneliness and the risk of suicidal ideation among lawyers. Krill found that lawyers who screened as lonely (pursuant to a three-item questionnaire adapted from a “loneliness scale” developed at UCLA) were 2.8 times more likely to endorse suicidality than those who did not screen as lonely.
Lacking Time to Connect?
Why are higher percentages of associates reporting loneliness and isolation than partners? I talked with Adam Wehler, director of eDiscovery strategy and litigation technology at Smith Anderson and co-founder of Sustained: A Wellness Summit. He said that having no time for meaningful connection—or having the belief that there is no time for meaningful connection—may be one of the biggest well-being issues for associates at law firms. An associate’s workday can seem “infinite,” Wehler says, making it difficult for associates to “pursue things that make them whole.”
Bloomberg Law’s 2024 special report on attorney well-being found that time was the No. 1 reason that attorneys gave for delaying or not seeking mental health support, and it makes sense that time may also be impacting loneliness in the profession.
The Opposite of Loneliness: Connection
Craig W. Budner, global strategic growth partner at K&L Gates, believes that solving loneliness in the legal profession requires connection. “To me,” he told me, “an important piece of the fix is to be intentional.”
A well-being champion, Budner believes firms need to focus on mentorship and similar programming. “It’s hard to feel lonely and disconnected when you are intentionally reaching out to your colleagues and learning about their worlds and what they’re going through,” he says. “At the firm, we emphasize a culture and programs that support these types of connections.”
Wehler agrees, noting that law firms need to give associates more than “ping-pong tables and happy hours.” Employers need to foster “healthy cultures” where associates can safely express to their colleagues and to leadership when they feel lonely or overwhelmed. “This,” he says, “creates real human connection.”
To see a downward change in loneliness among associates in the future, organizations will likely have to take the advice of these well-being ambassadors and implement meaningful and intentional programming designed to foster connection and relationships.
Bloomberg Law subscribers can find related content on our In Focus: Legal Professional Well-Being page, our Well-Being Programs & Organizational Health page, and our Surveys, Reports & Data Analysis page.
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