This is damning, but I can’t say that I’m surprised that someone would feel this way, are you?

“It’s difficult to convey the stress to attorneys of what we do. To try and convey how many balls we are juggling sounds defensive and lame, so we suck it up and consequently [have] stress,” said one respondent. “I think mental health is an issue like many others in law firms: if there’s any attention paid to it, it’s as it relates to attorneys — not staff,” said another.

There are an awful lot of “perks” within law firms that are designed to allow attorneys to focus their time and energy on billable work. Everything from onsite workout rooms, dry cleaning services, free food, massive investments in technology to allow them to work remotely when the kids are sick, and CLE sessions focused on addiction and mental health.

What we don’t spend enough time recognizing, however, are the staff members who are expected to be available to help out those attorneys at the drop of a hat, regardless of how much work they are juggling, and sometimes regardless of the time of day/night, with none of the benefits being afforded the attorneys.

Lawyers, go read the whole thing and understand how important your staff is to what you do, and how little some of you do to take care of them.

Frankly, I don’t see the benefit of being staff and working in BigLaw. I’m surprised they can still find people willing to do that for years and years.

Overwhelming Majority Of Biglaw Staff Members Say Their Mental Health Needs Aren’t Being Addressed