One-fourth Of Family Lawyers Considering Leaving Their Profession – Here’s Why

Family LawMay 21, 2021

There are few professions in the world that seem immensely respectful, and the field of law is one of them. The suits, the courtroom drama, the high paychecks, and the feeling of power are just a few things that attract people to study law. But apparently, in recent times, the field has lost its charm, with several lawyers deciding to quit.

Sora Shimazaki/Pexels | Almost a fourth of family lawyers are quitting the profession due to these reasons

According to Resolution (family law group), many family lawyers have decided to quit their profession over the last few years, and a major reason behind their life-changing move is the negative impact it has had on their mental health. The long working hours, client expectations, heavy workloads, high pressure, and isolated working has pushed lawmakers to really struggle to maintain a healthy work and social life.

But apart from these reasons, why are so many family lawyers on the verge of quitting? What has happened to impact their dreams, their quest, and their oath in such a deep way? We’ve come up with a few answers to these questions.

Taking losses and disagreements personally

When lawyers lose a case, some of them find it very difficult to accept the failure. It makes them feel like they’re just not enough. When this happens, even if they win a case down the line, they fail in acknowledging the success and focus more on things that didn’t go well in the past. This lowers their self-esteem and confidence.

Donald Tong/Pexels | When lawyers lose a case, some of them find it very difficult to accept the failure. It makes them feel like they’re just not enough

Even if the lawyers choose a case considering integrity, character, and respect, they may still feel inadequate because such a case typically doesn’t have a 100%-win rate. The legal system can be very unforgiving sometimes, and the worst lie lawyers tell themselves is that losing is equivalent to failure.

Stress management

The Resolution’s National Conference has found out that more than 55% of law practitioners work more than eight extra hours during a typical week. Further, nearly 65% of them have admitted to always feeling fatigued during the working day. But even after the awareness of well-being has grown in recent years, practitioners still feel hesitant talking to their employers about work-related pressures and stress.

Lawyers are under massive performance pressure almost all the time since one wrong decision can destroy people’s lives. Making the right decision can be quite stressful at times and this becomes yet another reason to quit.

The right thing to do

You only get to live once, and that one life shouldn’t be tinged with regrets. If you love handling cases and fighting for justice, quitting the profession shouldn’t even be an option. Even if there are many reasons to quit the job, your compassion alone should be enough to keep you going on.

August de Richelieu/Pexels | If you love handling cases and fighting for justice, quitting the profession shouldn’t even be an option

Summing it up

Family lawyers leaving the sector must be a matter of concern for everyone, and if the firms still fail in providing better facilities to improve their well-being and mental health, the next generation may not want to build their career in this field at all.