Strategies for Mental Well-Being
Attorneys and Perfectionism: How Legal Training Can Precipitate Maladaptive Mental Habits
The legal profession demands an extraordinary capacity for analytical rigor, anticipatory reasoning, and mastery over detail. From the earliest days of law school, attorneys are trained to forecast risk, preempt liability, and develop contingency plans for worst-case scenarios. In litigation, this anticipatory posture becomes an art form: one must foresee every factual wrinkle, exploit every procedural tool, and maintain an unwavering focus on winning. In transactional practice, attorneys must account for future ambiguities and negotiate terms that eliminate unpredictability. While these skills are essential to the zealous representation of clients, their persistent use outside professional contexts can distort one’s cognitive patterns,
July 8, 2025
