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A marketing survey recently showed that law firm staff members may be overworked, undervalued, and overstressed.
fSquared Marketing, a legal marketing consulting firm based in Canada, surveyed 200 people at firms in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada this year.
The respondents, which included legal marketers, managers, directors, administrators, and human resources personnel, said that they play a significant role in their legal firms but do not feel valued by the firms’ attorneys.
The legal marketing mental wellness survey showed that 74 percent of respondents feel that lawyers do not understand the work they do or the importance of their positions. fSquared co-founder and CEO Lynn Foley says that this lack of understanding may be contributing to increased levels of stress in non-lawyers at law firms.
Survey results quantify this mounting stress in a shocking way. Three fourths of survey respondents agreed with the statement “I often feel overwhelmed at work.” 66 percent of respondents said that they thought their increased stress levels were negatively impacting their ability to complete their work.
“These organizational issues are compounded by what many marketing professionals perceive as a lack of understanding of, and respect for, their role from lawyers,” Foley said.
Despite the importance of mental health in the legal industry, 87 percent of respondents felt that they couldn’t speak to their firm’s attorneys about their mental health. 68 percent of respondents reported that their firms weren’t putting enough energy into managing the stress caused by their non-lawyer roles.
The survey report draws attention to this issue and calls on legal firms to open the discussion regarding mental health in their industry.
“The ability for any person to be productive, creative, and innovative depends on mental wellbeing. Indeed, happiness and lives depend on it,” Cynthia P. Voth, president of the Legal Marketing Association, wrote in the survey report’s forward.
“This report is the beginning of an important conversation and I look forward to more work being done to support the mental wellness of legal marketers and all professionals who work in the legal industry.”
The survey results raise serious concerns about the wellbeing of legal staffers. Foley emphasizes the importance of managing stress in both lawyers and non-lawyer staffers who work in law firms.
Whether firms take action with education programs, access to mental health professionals, or other initiatives, any sort of action could help manage the growing stress felt by legal professionals.
Some firms have started to take steps to support their attorneys and non-lawyers as they struggle with the stress of their jobs. Many firms have signed an American Bar Association pledge to create and implement a seven point substance abuse and mental health plan which would support legal professionals.
Other firms have implemented their own programs to reduce mental health stigma in the workplace and open up dialogue surrounding the issue.
Are you a lawyer or non-lawyer working in a legal firm? Are you struggling with stress and mental health problems? How do you think your firm or other organizations can help reduce the high stress levels seen in the legal profession? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comment section down below.
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