Dana Lake '23
Editor-in-Chief
Oof, you might say. Rough article headline. Glad she’s not talking to me.
Reader, I am talking to you. One in five lawyers drinks at a hazardous level, and the statistic is over one in three for some studies.[1] For many, the problem started in law school.
Substance abuse in law school is not a secret, but it is diminished in other ways. The idea of a work hard, play hard culture from big firms is easily translated to law school, where just about every social event is centered around drinking. SBA has made great efforts in recent years to specify that there are both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks available in their event notifications, and at celebratory events—like the Midway Toast for 2Ls—the Law School makes festive non-alcoholic options available. But the truth remains that alcohol is a major part of the social scene for most people in the legal field.
Recent summer associates can certainly attest to this. Your firm will cover the bill for drinks at every event they host, and you will be encouraged to participate. For people worried about a return offer, the pressure to be considered fun and a good sport—that is, someone willing to do shots with the first years—can be overwhelming. The stress of a difficult job where you spend almost all of your time with your coworkers in something of a bubble exacerbates the risk of problem drinking, and it doesn’t fade with an offer in hand. Studies show the heaviest drinkers in law firms are junior associates.[2]
All that is to say, now is the time to define your relationship with alcohol. Not when you get the offer, not when you graduate, not when you finish studying for the bar—creating healthy boundaries can start today. The Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program has a self-assessment that can be a good place to start.[3]
If you have Professor Mitchell for PR, then last week you read the excellent article by David Jaffe and Janet Stearns about the movement to change the Character and Fitness questions bar exams are allowed to ask their applicants.[4]The American Bar Association and Conference of Chief Justices have both resolved that improving the well-being of the legal community is a priority, and improvement can start with changing how mental health diagnoses and substance abuse disorders are weighed when evaluating a person’s ability to practice law.
The simple idea is that when disclosing a diagnosis has perceived negative consequences, people are less likely to disclose. And in the legal field, where disclosure and honesty in the bar and law school applications are hammered home so strongly, people are less likely to get diagnosed in the first place. Though only a handful of people fail to get licensed based on character and fitness evaluations every year (less than 1 percent of California state bar applicants, for example),[5] the culture of fear around the bar has a significant impact on how willing law students are to seek help.
The stigma around mental health is changing, and updating C&F disclosure requirements is only one part of that. The role of law schools is also expanding—at the University of Virginia, the UVA Collegiate Recovery Program is a community of support for anyone “in recovery, an ally, or just sober curious.”[6] They meet Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 550 Brandon Avenue, no RSVP necessary (with free food and coffee). Student Affairs is also available to law students—Dean Davies and the Office of Student Affairs are a resource law students can lean on for help managing classes and professors if they are in a crisis, or for getting assessed and into treatment.[7]
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dl9uh@virginia.edu
[1] https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/alcohol-abuse/alarming-alcoholism-rate-lawyers/
[2] https://medium.com/exploring-sobriety/do-law-schools-encourage-excessive-drinking-effd06dec699
[3] https://vjlap.org/students/
[4] Conduct Yourselves Accordingly: Amending Bar Character and Fitness Questions to Promote Lawyer Well-Being
[5] https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/fake-lawyer-real-question-do-bar-morality-requirements-serve-purpose-2021-11-23/#:~:text=For%20most%20people%2C%20it's%20a,a%20bar%20spokesman%20told%20me.
[6] https://crp.virginia.edu/
[7] https://www.law.virginia.edu/wellness/alcohol-and-substance-abuse