even when the party or client is an estate , corporation , government agency , or other entity . We still deal with individuals ; we still serve individuals .
“ The purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others .”– Albert Schweitzer .
“ We make a living by what we get ; we make a life by what we give .”– Winston Churchill .
If the great thinkers and philosophers are correct , we can find greater satisfaction in the practice of law and our personal lives by viewing our work not just as hours to be billed , tasks to be completed , or cases to closed , but as service to our clients , colleagues , and community .
It is my hope we find greater professional and personal satisfaction in the practice of law by our attorneys , firms , and judiciary developing a culture of recognizing and treating our profession as a vocation of service to others . 14
1 . https :// time . com / collection / guide-tohappiness / 4070299 / secret-to-happiness .
2 . See , e . g ., studies cited in https :// www . psychnewsdaily . com / new-study-shows-thathelping-others-also-helps-yourself /# the-benefit-ofhelping-others-depends-on-the-situation ; https :// www . mentalfloss . com / article / 71964 / 7-scientificbenefits-helping-others ; https :// www . webmd . com / balance / news / 20130823 / volunteering-maymake-people-happier-study-finds ; https :// www . mentalhealth . org . uk / campaigns / kindness / kindnessmatters-guide ; https :// www . washingtonpost . com / lifestyle / 2020 / 07 / 29 / volunteer-happy-mental-health ; https :// thriveglobal . com / stories / why-science-sayshelping-others-makes-us-happier ; https :// time . com / collection / guide-to-happiness / 4070299 / secret-tohappiness ; https :// www . psychologytoday . com / us / blog / intentional-insights / 201607 / is-serving-others-thekey-meaning-and-purpose ; https :// blogs . acu . edu / lytlecenter / 2020 / 03 / 21 / thriving-in-crisis-servingothers .
3 . https :// abovethelaw . com / 2019 / 08 / want-to-behappy-dont-be-a-lawyer ; https :// www . lawlytics . com / blog / can-lawyers-be-happy ; https :// www . chicagotribune . com / opinion / commentary / ctwhy-lawyers-are-miserable-20150907-story . html ; https :// lawtomated . medium . com / whyare-lawyers-unhappy-b27f45b6cc5e #:~: text = 2 . - , Pressure , demands % 20and % 20low % 20decision % 20 latitude .& text = Lawyers % 20who % 20consider % 20 leaving % 20the % 20profession % 20often % 20feel % 20 trapped .
4 . See https :// www . careerexplorer . com / careers / lawyer / satisfaction .
5 . See https :// modernlawpractice . com / depression-amonglawyers-the-statistics ; https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / attorney _ suicide _ what _ every _ lawyer _ needs _ to _ know ; https :// www . scbar . org / media / filer _ public / 3d / 25 / 3d25d564-bc05-468b- 9cc0-6317004adb38 / outline _ for _ lawyers _ epidemic . pdf ; https :// www . cnn . com / 2014 / 01 / 19 / us / lawyer-suicides / index . html ; https :// abovethelaw . com / 2019 / 08 / want-to-be-happy-dont-be-a-lawyer ; https :// www . americanbar . org / groups / senior _ lawyers / publications / voice _ of _ experience / 2021 / voice-ofexperience-november-2021 / dissenting-from-deathpreventing-lawyer-suicide ; see also https :// nysba . org / app / uploads / 2020 / 09 / Depression-Handouts-DL . pdf ( referencing a 2016 study that found lawyers suffer from depression at four times the rate of the general population ( 28 percent of practicing lawyers surveyed reported a problem with depression within the past 12 months ), “[ a ] staggering 46 percent divulged they had experienced depression at some point over the course of their legal careers ”). “ According to the Nee Foundation , lawyers are the most frequently depressed occupational group in the United States . . . .” https :// www . americanbar . org / groups / senior _ lawyers / publications / voice _ of _ experience / 2021 / voice-of-experience-november-2021 / dissenting-from-death-preventing-lawyer-suicide . 6 . https :// www . mycase . com / blog / 15-ways-become-happylawyer-meant .
7 . See https :// www . cnn . com / 2014 / 01 / 19 / us / lawyersuicides / index . html ; https :// www . mycase . com / blog / 15- ways-become-happy-lawyer-meant ; https :// www . lawlytics . com / blog / can-lawyers-be-happy .
8 . https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / attorney _ suicide _ what _ every _ lawyer _ needs _ to _ know .
9 . https :// www . scbar . org / media / filer _ public / 3d / 25 / 3d25d564-bc05-468b-9cc0- 6317004adb38 / outline _ for _ lawyers _ epidemic . pdf ; see also https :// www . scbar . org / media / filer _ public / 3d / 25 / 3d25d564-bc05-468b-9cc0- 6317004adb38 / outline _ for _ lawyers _ epidemic . pdf (“ Estimates from around the country indicate that the incidence of substance abuse among lawyers is as much as double the national average .”).
10 . https :// abovethelaw . com / 2019 / 08 / want-to-be-happydont-be-a-lawyer ; see also “ Lawyer Well-Being ,” 2021 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession ( https :// www . americanbar . org / news / reporter _ resources / profile-of-profession ) and studies cited in https :// www . scbar . org / media / filer _ public / 3d / 25 / 3d25d564- bc05-468b-9cc0-6317004adb38 / outline _ for _ lawyers _ epidemic . pdf ; https :// modernlawpractice . com / depression-among-lawyers-the-statistics .
11 . I question whether the statistics are representative of North Dakota attorneys because of my personal interaction with North Dakota practicing attorneys , as well as the size of our bar and North Dakota law firms . Big firm lawyers are the least satisfied . See infra n . 13 .
12 . https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / are _ you _ happy _ now .
13 . An article in the ABA Journal reports : “ Government lawyers are happiest ( 68 percent report satisfaction ) and big firm lawyers are least satisfied ( 44 percent ) with their careers . In between those extremes fall solo practitioners and small firm lawyers , who generally report that their work autonomy adds to their satisfaction with their job .” https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / are _ you _ happy _ now ; see also https :// www . chicagotribune . com / opinion / commentary / ct-why-lawyers-aremiserable-20150907-story . html (“ Survey after survey tells us that Big Law associates are unhappy . By some measures , they collectively constitute the least happy workers in the U . S .”). On a positive note , the article reports that “[ h ] appiness with a career in law usually increases over time . There are several explanations for this , including feeling better about one ’ s own competence , finding a satisfying ’ niche ,’ and developing better ways of coping with the inevitable frustrations of the job .” https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / are _ you _ happy _ now . Accordingly to multiple studies , salary is not a factor of lawyer happiness once the lawyer obtains a salary of $ 75,000 . See https :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / are _ you _ happy _ now (“[ B ] eyond a salary of about $ 75,000 , additional income does very little to improve happiness .”); http :// law2 . umkc . edu / faculty / projects ftrialshappylawyersFive- MythsAboutHappyLawyersfinaldraftwebsite . pdf (“ On the whole , for lawyers , money doesn ’ t have much to do with happiness . Absolute income does not matter a great deal to lawyer satisfaction , at least above about $ 75,000 .”); https :// www . clio . com / blog / lawyer-happiness (“ After a lawyer obtains a salary of above $ 75,000 , income stops being a factor in lawyer happiness .”).
14 . The Lawyer Assistance Program is here to help lawyers struggling with alcohol or drug issues , stress , depression , or practice management . See https :// www . sband . org / page / lawyer _ assist _ prog .
Call for CLE Speakers
SBAND and the North Dakota CLE Commission sponsor seminars and programs throughout the year in all sorts of formats , including live , webinars , and IVNs .
We want to know about SBAND members who have ideas for topics or who are interested in being a presenter .
Contact Carrie Molander at carrie @ sband . org .
WINTER 2022 5