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Courts And Community: Lawyer Wellbeing

Several studies over the decades have concluded that lawyers are more prone to alcoholism and depression than people in other professions. A 2016 study by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation estimates almost two in five lawyers are problem drinkers, and that more than one in four struggle with depression.

The problem seems to also affect law students. According to a study by the Dave Nee Foundation, law students are among the most dissatisfied and depressed of any graduate student population.

The Arkansas Judiciary this year formed a task force on lawyer wellbeing. It released a report recommending training for attorneys in identifying lawyers who could be struggling, creating a mentor program, de-emphasizing alcohol at social events, and creating a wellbeing survey to measure the profession's progress.

You can read the report at ARCourts.gov.

Karen Tricot Steward hosts Courts and Community, a one-minute interstitial program on KUAR. She is Public Education Coordinator for the Arkansas Supreme Court. Her position is responsible for planning and implementing statewide public education programs to raise awareness and understanding of the role of the judiciary. She organizes outreach events, develops educational materials and exhibits, facilitates group tours of the Justice Building in Little Rock, and makes presentations about the court system.