Dear Patrick:

I'm a young associate (class of '15) who wanted to be a lawyer since childhood. ​ I went to “top” schools, earned “top” grades, and now work around the clock at a “top” law firm. The problem is I feel like it's changing me, and not in a good way. I think it has less to do with the work than it does with the lawyers. A lot of lawyers I encounter in my firm and elsewhere seem to be in some stage of psychological agony and regular self-medication, and I'm afraid it's all starting to rub off. So my question is: Is this just part of being a lawyer in 2017 or do you see areas of the law with healthier, happier people who aren't slowly falling apart? I'm not at all ready to give up on this dream, but don't like where I'm headed.