Reviving civility: path to well-being in legal profession

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The first in a series of commentaries about the role civility plays in lawyer well-being.

Civility in the legal profession faces unprecedented challenges in today’s landscape of polarization and technological advances. According to the American Bar Association’s Survey of Civic Literacy 2023, 85 percent of respondents believe civility in the United States has declined over the past decade, highlighting the urgent need for renewed commitment within the legal community.

Civility embodies respect, compassion and understanding for all stakeholders, and its restoration is crucial amidst manifestations of incivility such as bias, harassment, discrimination and bullying.

Here, we delve into the importance of civility within the legal profession, exploring its connection to well-being, as well as its implications for legal practitioners, clients and the broader community.

It also happens to be Well-Being Week in Law — a week to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action across the profession to improve well-being, which includes civility. From May 6-10, we are hosting, collaborating on and supporting various events and programs across Massachusetts. Visit our website to join the programs and events and access the many resources available at www.lawyerwellbeingma.org/well-being-week-in-law-2024.

How civility impacts well-being

The Supreme Judicial Court Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being in its 2019 report referencing the National Task Force Report on Lawyer Well-Being states that “[incivility] depletes energy and motivation, increases burnout, and inflicts emotional and psychological damage. It diminishes productivity, performance, creativity and helping behaviors.”

Most lawyers expect their professional activities to involve stressful elements due to the adversarial nature of the practice of law. However, there is a significant difference between entering into a stressful endeavor willingly (and hence having the opportunity to allocate internal resources and external supports accordingly) and regularly having to respond to unexpected injections of hostility and threat (i.e., incivility).