Yes, bullying. That repugnant behavior which most often derives from places of insecurity and needs to demonstrate power. That bullying. It is out of control in our society today, including among leadership, so it should not come as a surprise to see it raise its ugly head in our profession. While perhaps not a surprise, certainly very disappointing.
So I read the results of a recent survey on the subject of bullying among colleagues in the legal profession with great concern. I am familiar with the authors of the survey, having met one of them, as reliable and trustworthy, which only heightens my concern for survey results which include that 24% of the lawyers surveyed experienced bullying in the last year. The survey, conducted for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism in the Fall of 2023, is summarized in this Reuters article.
I am no stranger to bullying. It comes with the territory for an opinion writer. Opinion writers, no matter how diligent they are in researching their topics, too often become targets of uninformed and angry people who have needs to vent. And it can be very ugly, especially when the vehicle for the bully is faceless social media. So I avoid that result whenever possible. Sometimes that is regrettable because I enjoy the back and forth and the opportunity to learn through genuine differences of opinion. But not when it is uncivil and disrespectful. And I am not alone in this. One very well-regarded columnist for mainstream legal media has shared her similar experiences with me.
So, I leave it to you to read the results of the survey for yourself, and I encourage you to do that. Perhaps your reaction will be like mine and you, too, might question the definition of bullying described there. Is it too subjective? Does it echo vulnerability of recent generations of young lawyers who have experienced an abundance of praise and hand holding? The difference in the occurrence of reported bullying within age groups might suggest that as a possibility.
However, if most of what is reported in the survey results appears to be genuine and accurate, it should give you pause. If that is the case, I hope you will discuss it within your professional circles. Keep an eye out for it and do whatever you can to combat it. The practice of law is hard enough, and bullying must be stopped before it gets out of control and becomes accepted behavior.
What a shame it is when law starts imitating society in this way.
