Do
you
like
your
job?
And
before
you
answer,
that
is
a
different
question
from
“Do
you
feel
like
your
job
pays
you
an
adequate
amount?”
Do
you
enjoy
the
work
that
you
do,
is
it
fulfilling,
does
it
have
a
positive
impact
on
your
mental
health?
If
yes,
phenomenal!
If
not
—
depending
on
the
demographics
—
you’re
in
the
majority.
A
recent
survey
asked
legal
professionals
about
the
impact
that
their
jobs
have
had
on
their
mental
health
and
the
outcome
may
surprise
you.
The
ABA
Journal
has
coverage:
Only
36%
of
surveyed
legal
professionals,
including
lawyers,
who
are
ages
18
to
34
said
work
had
a
positive
effect
on
mental
health.
The
percentage
increased
to
43%
for
those
ages
35
to
44,
50%
for
those
ages
45
to
54,
and
62%
for
those
ages
55
and
older.
The
results
of
the
survey
have
gendered
outcomes:
half
of
male
lawyers
at
larger
firms
report
a
positive
effect
while
only
35%
of
female
lawyers
report
the
same.
Despite
being
the
majority
of
law
firm
associates,
gender
bias
could
explain
some
of
the
discrepancy
in
workplace
satisfaction,
not
to
mention
the
existential
risk
that
your
firm
may
decide
to
gut
a
chunk
of
parental
leave
for
no
clear
reason
at
any
time.
There
is
also
a
pervasive
sense
of
resentment
toward
workers
in
the
zeitgeist;
quiet
quitting
has
been
thought
of
as
a
burnout
indicator
for
years,
in
addition
to
the
very
concept
coming
under
scrutiny
—
the
argument
being
that
terms
like
“quiet
quitting”
and
the
like
are
just
PC
terms
for
employees
being
mad
about
the
expectation
of
doing
unpaid
labor:
There’s
a
case
for
giving
a
little
leeway
for
unpaid
labor
when
you’re
making
north
of
$250k
a
year,
but
that’s
neither
here
nor
there.
If
you’d
like
to
read
the
study
directly,
you
can
find
it
here.
Only
36%
Of
Young
Legal
Professionals
Say
Work
Has
Positive
Impact
On
Mental
Health,
New
Survey
Finds
[ABA
Journal]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boatbuilder
who
cannot
swim, a
published
author
on
critical
race
theory,
philosophy,
and
humor,
and
has
a
love
for
cycling
that
occasionally
annoys
his
peers.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected] and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.