Lawyer's Year Is 'Remarkable' After Revealing Mental Health Challenges

This Reed Smith lawyer went public in 2019 about his struggles with mental health, a decision that has helped address the stigma of those challenges in the legal community.

December 27, 2019 at 01:20 PM

6 minute read

By Mark S. Goldstein

The past 12 months were the most remarkable year of my life, both personally and professionally. It was also the most enriching, enlightening, eye-opening and gratifying year.

And why is that, you may ask? You see, as the clocks turned from 2018 to 2019, only a small cohort of colleagues, family members and friends knew about my past struggles with mental health disabilities. Only a small cohort knew the real reason behind my 11-week leave of absence from work toward the end of 2017. Only a small cohort had ever heard me utter the words—or, more aptly, diagnoses—depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.

That all changed in 2019, however, the year I decided to speak publicly and vocally about my past (and present and future for that matter). The catalyst for all of this was the February 2019 publication of an article in Law.com affiliate The American Lawyer chronicling my journey with mental health disabilities, as well as a follow-up article detailing the tremendous response I received—and continue to this day to receive—to the initial post.

These articles served as a springboard to a host of extraordinary opportunities. Opportunities, for instance, to speak about mental health at dozens of conferences, symposia, webinars and other events and programs across the globe. (Let's just say that my frequent flyer account is "on fleek." Is that something kids are still saying?)

Opportunities to meet with and implore law students—the next generation of lawyers—to meaningfully consider and take care of their mental health as they embark on their professional journeys. Opportunities to witness the legal community at large, including attorneys in both the private and public sectors, as well as academics and members of the judiciary, come together and support one another. Opportunities to work with within Reed Smith and also alongside firm clients, to develop and implement mental health and wellness programs. Opportunities to see, firsthand, the incredible achievements and strides that physically and mentally disabled attorneys have made and continue to make. Opportunities to cultivate a greater appreciation and understanding for how diversity and inclusion efforts make our profession better and stronger on so many different fronts.

Perhaps most rewardingly, opportunities to meet and speak with thousands of lawyers from all corners of the profession about their own struggles with mental health issues, or the struggles of relatives or friends. I still receive phone calls and emails every single week from attorneys and other legal professionals who either stumbled across my article or heard me speak at an event. Some just want someone to listen to them without fear of being judged or ostracized. Some want guidance. Some want to know how they can help a struggling friend. All, however, want to know that they, or their loved ones, are not alone and that real, tangible support exists. And even though I am no mental health professional—something I make very clear—these are assurances I can absolutely provide.

What then, with all of these opportunities, did I learn in 2019?

First and most certainly foremost, that this issue resonates with and hits close to home for more people than I could ever have imagined. Over the past year, I've had candid and often raw and emotional conversations with individuals from every walk of life on this issue. Judges. Senior law firm partners. Solo practitioners. General counsel. Government officials. Paralegals. Legal secretaries. First-year associates. And many, many more. The issue, therefore, calls for creating an industrywide environment where people feel comfortable acknowledging their situation, asking for help and support, and seeking treatment.
That the very same trait that led many of us to choose law in the first place and to excel in our jobs—namely, perfectionism, type A personalities and the like—are also the same traits that, if not properly monitored, put lawyers at an acutely high risk, more so than virtually every other profession, of suffering from mental health disorders.
That a person's outward appearance is not necessarily indicative of mental health or well being. Behind that smile or perfectly pressed three-piece suit may be serious anxieties or other "invisible" conditions.
That ample data to supports that mentally healthy employees are beneficial for an employer's financial bottom line, attrition rates and overall morale. In other words, there is an easy business case to be made for employers to support workplace mental health initiatives.
That mental health disorders do not discriminate against their victims based on sex, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, pay grade, title, book of business or any other characteristic or trait. Everyone is susceptible.
That mental health disabilities are no different than physical ailments. If you should seek treatment for diabetes, chest pain or a broken bone, you should do the same for your brain. In a related vein, I have also come to appreciate that, just like physical health, everyone has mental health. It is incumbent upon us all to take care of both.
That mental health-related questions have no place or purpose on a bar admission or judicial application.
That we cannot have a meaningful conversation on this issue if we do not include and embrace law firm staff members, law students and others within the industry who do not hold Juris Doctor degrees.
Buy-in from organizational leadership in any type of legal employment setting is paramount. If key leaders are on board with addressing mental health and wellness, it will almost assuredly trickle down throughout the organization.
That it will take a proverbial village—the entire legal community—to enact real change with respect to mental health issues.

At 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, 2019, when I was admittedly snoring away (sorry Ryan Seacrest), I could never have imagined what remarkable twists and turns the year ahead would hold. And as we turn the page on 2019, I am filled with hope that, in the next decade, we will work together to achieve even greater progress on the mental health front.

Mark S. Goldstein is in the employment practice of Reed Smith in New York. He is also a member of Law.com's Mental Health Advisory Board.