Breaking the Stigma: Gavin Alexander shares mental health struggles to improve the profession

Gavin Alexander often tells other lawyers that success and seeking help aren’t mutually exclusive. Alexander, the Boston-based well-being director at Jackson Lewis, speaks from experience.

Jan 1, 2026 12:25 AM CST

Five strategies for leaders to prioritize mental health and well-being

Dec 23, 2025 9:00 AM CST

Legal leaders shoulder more stress, new survey shows

Think you’re stressed out? Your senior leaders probably have you beat.

Dec 18, 2025 10:15 AM CST

‘Am I the Drama?’ What Cardi B can teach the legal profession

When rapper Cardi B released Am I the Drama? just weeks after winning a high-profile assault lawsuit, she turned legal adversity into cultural commentary. From narrative framing and courtroom conduct to trial publicity and client counseling, her experience offers practical lessons for lawyers and law students on managing reputation, evidence and ethics in the court of law and the court of public opinion.

Dec 17, 2025 9:01 AM CST

Law prof sues Boeing, alleges toxic fumes inhaled on flight

A law professor is suing Boeing for $40 million, alleging that exposure to toxic fumes on a 737 operated by Delta Air Lines last August led to his lasting brain and respiratory injuries, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Dec 12, 2025 9:10 AM CST

Please Advise: It’s been a hard year for many; here’s some advice that got lawyers through it

The ABA Journal asked lawyers for the best advice they received in 2025, and we selected 20 thoughts to share with readers.

Dec 11, 2025 2:56 PM CST

How to navigate lawyer well-being in a tech-dominated world

Dec 8, 2025 2:00 PM CST

Read this year’s Ross Essay Contest winner, ‘26 Days’

University of Pittsburgh Law School graduate Murphy DePompei’s short story, ‘26 Days,’ about an associate struggling to avoid alcohol at a firm event, is the 2025 ABA Journal/Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction.

Nov 26, 2025 10:29 AM CST

‘Prestige is no longer the primary currency of success in law,’ survey suggests

Lawyers are divided on whether income or flexibility and autonomy are their top priorities in legal practice, according to findings of a survey of 132 attorneys by Paragon Legal, a provider of temporary lawyers for in-house legal departments.

Nov 17, 2025 9:57 AM CST

Your inner critic isn’t your edge

Hunched over my desk, surrounded by markups and a neglected dinner gone cold, I pressed on. It was almost sunrise, but despite my blurry vision and aching back, I was determined to power through. I had to perfect the agreement before the partner arrived in a few hours.

Nov 6, 2025 9:20 AM CST

More firms are helping lawyers stress less over money

Zooming in on the legal profession, 67% of all young lawyers and 68% of young lawyers with student loan debt feel stressed or anxious because of their finances, according to a 2024 survey by the ABA Young Lawyers Division. The survey also found early career lawyers with high debt are delaying marriage and having children and are struggling to reach savings and investment goals.

Nov 3, 2025 2:14 PM CST

ABA House takes aim at bullying in the legal profession

More needs to be done to understand and respond to the pervasive problem of bullying in the legal profession, the ABA said during its annual meeting in Toronto.

Aug 12, 2025 10:58 AM CDT

Secondary trauma hits attorneys hard; here’s how to navigate it

There’s a lesser-known but profound challenge within the legal profession: secondary trauma. For many attorneys and judges, the emotional toll of handling distressing cases can accumulate, creating lasting psychological impacts.

Aug 12, 2025 9:23 AM CDT

At Sheppard Mullin, employee benefits include help with tasks like finding care for aging parents

It’s a common theme—law firm staff and attorneys juggling caregiving responsibilities in their personal lives with their careers. But Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton says it has found a way to help.

Aug 4, 2025 9:34 AM CDT

Craving Connection: Lawyers, who face stress and adversarial work, experience more isolation than many professionals

Studies depict lawyers as struggling under the stress of their jobs and lifestyles, weighed down by a host of mental health issues and uniquely positioned to experience feelings of isolation. In 2018, for example, the Harvard Business Review found that lawyers outranked engineers and research scientists when it came to loneliness.

Aug 1, 2025 1:40 AM CDT