Incidence of Bar Discipline in Millennial Attorneys

Abstract

Data on the numbers of attorneys disciplined by age, to include millennials (born 1980-1992) were obtained from the disciplinary organizations of 17 states and the District of Columbia, in order to determine whether millennial attorneys showed any increase in discipline as compared to older attorneys in decade groups above millennials. Since attorneys generally are subject to high stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders, as well as alcohol and substance abuse, whether millennials are exhibiting increasing disciplinary trends, which would evoke intervention, was reviewed and analyzed. The results of the analysis of the data from the 18 disciplinary organizations showed that millennials exhibit and increasing trend in disciplinary actions, starting only a couple of years from the start of their legal practice. The larger the Bar organization, the more the effects were shown in the millennial disciplinary data. However, the data overall does not show millennials as being more disciplined than middle-aged attorneys, who have been the largest group of offenders over time. However, while millennials are increasing in discipline, older attorneys are trending downwards in discipline, which may be due to increased Bar programs and interventions.