Addiction and Lawyers: Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession

The official web site of the Michigan Bar Association discusses the origins of the problem. Larry Dubin, a professor of law at the University Detroit Mercy School of Law, explains that the substance abuse of lawyers actually begins when they are in college.

According to Dubin when students attend law school they are going in order to obtain the skills they must acquire to be successful lawyers. But they
also are exposed to the lifestyles of lawyers. Once aspect that they are exposed to is substance abuse.

Dubin, who has taught Professional Responsibility for the past 30 years, explains that student’s will learn that they must ignore their emotional and personal reactions, and represent positions that may be in disagreement with their own opinions and belief systems. The best interests of their client, which they have to represent, may be in opposition to the best interests of society. Dubin says that these professional pressures can adversely affect lawyer’s personal lives and cause substance abuse problems.

It is pointed out by Dubin that research shows attorneys are more likely to have substance abuse problems than the average person. 1 These problems are also of greater concern to the general public than the average person’s because the lawyer’s addiction to drug and alcohol doesn’t just affect that attorney. The addiction also negatively affects the client’s of that attorney.