Why are there so many uphappy lawyers?

This article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mulls over the alarming rate of depressed lawyers leaving the profession -- 40,000 per year. That's roughly equal to the number of new attorneys entering each year. Central to this article are two former attorneys, Richard Delgado and Ron Fox, founders of the Center for Professional Development in the Law, a career planning service for attorneys.

Billable hours, stress and an uncreative atmosphere are cited as the main causes of dissatisfaction with the legal profession. If your job is out of alignment with your values, that does not mean you should (necessarily) quit tomorrow. Balancing professional and personal needs is important. Or as my colleague Joel Zand would say, Get a Life, Counselor!.