Mental Health and the Legal Profession

Abstract

The Fordham Law Review’s Symposium collection on Mental Health and the Legal Profession is dedicated to the memory of Professor Deborah L. Rhode. As the Symposium highlights, the mental and emotional well-being of those in the legal profession is one of increasing concern. This November 2020 Symposium focused on current developments that have exacerbated the extraordinary pressures experienced by many legal professionals: the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions, and political uncertainty. From law school and into the legal profession, different groups of individuals confront varying challenges that propel mental health problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety. Racial-based adversity in particular compounds these difficulties for minority law students and attorneys; for example, minority women lawyers may be expected to take on additional responsibilities without being credited for their “invisible labor.” This Symposium’s contributors offered possible solutions the legal profession can embrace to address mental health issues and inspire positive change to the legal culture. Such a turnabout could better equip legal professionals to succeed in their professional lives without the cost of their personal lives and mental health.

Keywords: mental health, legal profession, racial tension, law students, lawyers, pandemic, discrimination, race