Jul 19, 2021
Lawyers and Judges in Harmony (A Musical Antidote for Professional Stress)
[Published in Los Angeles Lawyer, July/August 2021]
Lawyers have stressful jobs, juggling numerous demands and court deadlines. Then there’s that special opposing counsel who makes “civil litigation” somewhat less than civil. Judges have their own stress, presiding over full calendars that spill into the hallway – and decision-making is solitary work. The COVID-19 pandemic added more stress, with lockdowns that prevented lawyers from recharging mentally at collegial events. Data suggest that alcohol consumption increased during the stressful pandemic and that the majority of people using cannabis medically reported starting or increasing substance use (most commonly alcohol) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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