Missouri lawyers invited to participate in national lawyer well-being survey
A national research project on lawyer mental health and well-being is launching this month and is expected to shed additional light on how well-being can impact a lawyer’s ability to practice. The project, a collaboration between the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and lawyer behavioral health and well-being specialist Patrick Krill and his research partner Justin Anker, includes a survey that will poll lawyers about various well-being topics.
The Missouri Bar is one of numerous state bars across the country disseminating the anonymous survey to a random sample of lawyers. Approximately 14,000 lawyers will be randomly selected from The Missouri Bar and invited to participate in this research study. If you are selected, you will receive an email from The Missouri Bar with more information and a link to complete the survey. This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. This is a different survey from the well-being survey The Missouri Bar conducted separately this year.
The survey aims to provide a 10-year update to and build upon the landmark 2016 ABA-Hazelden Betty Ford study, reflecting substantial shifts in the legal profession over the past decade, including changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing role of technology in legal practice.
The anonymous and confidential survey will investigate a range of individual risk factors for mental health and substance use problems (including stress, anxiety, depression, and behavioral motives) as well as cultural and workplace risk factors (workload, burnout, attitudes towards substance use and self-care, availability and utilization of support resources).
The survey will include methodological enhancements (e.g., a random sample) to reach an even wider cross-section of the lawyer population.
Raw data collected in this survey will not be shared with The Missouri Bar. The only information that will be shared with The Missouri Bar is an aggregate summary of all-member responses to various survey measures (e.g. demographics, anxiety, etc.).
All survey responses will be anonymous and go directly to the University of Minnesota which maintains the confidentiality of all data. No identifying information will be asked, and all data will be de-identified including IP addresses.
Any questions should be directed to Dr. Justin Anker, principal investigator, or Patrick Krill, co-investigator:
Justin Anker, Ph.D.
Office: 763-620-0615
Patrick Krill, J.D., LL.M, M.A.
Office: 724-719-2134