“I often get asked why or how I changed course in my career (I was also a litigation and dispute resolution lawyer in a previous life). This tends to lead to a sharing of their own concerns about legal practice and associated anxious feelings of disenchantment, as they struggle to face an uncertain and/or volatile future,” she told Lawyers Weekly.

“In the philosophical sense, existential crisis refers to persisting and intrusive questioning about the meaning of life and, most importantly, of one’s place in the world. It is often accompanied by existential angst or anxiety – arising from perceived meaningless of life or insignificance of oneself in the world.

“In the context of lawyering, it is about questioning what it means to be a lawyer, of one’s place in the legal profession, whether there is a place for them in the profession, and what lawyering is or looks like. Similarly, this is accompanied by heightened sense of anxiousness.”

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While Ms Thum admitted that feeling unsure when at a “fork in the road” is normal, as is entering a high-stress career with “some trepidation”, one’s mental and emotional health can be negatively impacted when that unsure feeling results in “unrelenting questioning of the meaning and purpose of a career coupled with anxiety”.

“There is a disconnect between who our young lawyers believe themselves to be or wish to become and what they believe they are capable of in legal practice, which is rapidly evolving. Thus, giving rise to anxiety, and even depressed moods,” she added.

“In current times, the fork in the road is less defined. In fact, young lawyers are aware there are many roads ahead, but the view ahead for each is less clear. Even for those who are staying true to their journey, they are challenged by the rapid changes and increased uncertainty.”

There are two key factors that Ms Thum said could contribute to this “experience”: the rapid advancement of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in an increase of social media.

Global social media users grew by 137 million from January 2022 to January 2023. Two-thirds of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 34. Similarly, almost 60 per cent of LinkedIn’s users are between the ages of 25 to 34.

“A good example is generative AI in the last 12 months. [Young lawyers have] doubts on whether the knowledge and skills they possess are enough, and how often and how much are they required to upskill. The technological advancement is also changing the nature of legal practice, and precedents or lessons from history are less reliable as a guide to the future.

“Studies have shown social media use to be positively correlated to reduction in mental and emotional health. On the one hand, it is not easy to wade through, to navigate around the large amount of information and make good sense of them. On the other hand, the fear of missing out (FOMO) applies also to professional lives, and spurs increased reactivity to content consumed,” Ms Thum explained.

“Even for the more discerning, they are exposed to existential issues much sooner in their career, at the start, for instance, than traditionally mid-career. Overall, rapid change leads to greater uncertainty, and challenges our adaptability. The ground under foot feels less firm for those on the legal career journey than before.”

Concerningly, Ms Thum said that if feelings of anxiety arise from “existential questioning”, they are likely to become recurring, even if combated.

“We are in a transition space – from the information age (of the late 20th century) to the internet age (of the 21st century) – and as with all transition spaces, it is a time to adapt and adjust.

“Psychological flexibility is a pre-condition to and critical to our capacity to adapt, and therefore improving psychological flexibility is a highly beneficial step – learning to accept that change is perpetual, to be present in what we do, and to do what matters through committed action. I work with young people to examine their values and what they stand for, beyond what they are told or expected to be,” she said.

“Existential questioning is a precursor to personal growth, and in this instance, professional growth. We go through it. If my experience is representative of the general young lawyer cohort, then there is a general willingness to engage with this – to explore their values and talk it through and sometimes with the assistance of a counsellor or psychotherapist.”

As such, an existential crisis can actually be helpful, as the resulting exploration and engagement with one’s existence can “lead to discovery of meaning and purpose earlier in life and career, to greater self-awareness, generating a healthy perspective on life – personal or professional”, Ms Thum posited.

“Approaching from a phenomenological perspective, with appropriate support, young lawyers can make conscious decisions and take action to engage with this existential crisis. For the legal profession in these changing times, perhaps this may be an impetus to reconsider and redefine the soul of the law,” she added.

“Change requires adaptation, rapid change requires iterative responses, which also means it requires creativity and curiosity to explore and experiment. For our young lawyers, the considerations of what is a lawyer, what does lawyering entail, what is the legal profession, where and how do I fit in or navigate my way in the profession – becomes an iterative process.”

However, the legal profession can still provide support. Experienced practitioners can – and should – spend time having conversations with young lawyers about the values of the profession, as well as allowing new lawyers space for “experimentation and exploration on their legal practice journey” and permission to change their minds, according to Ms Thum.

“Prioritising young lawyers’ mental and emotional health is a first step, and not just in the ways we have understood them to be or believed the solutions ought to be. These, too, are evolving. We have to keep having these important conversations,” she added.

“Practically, we must also focus on teaching and developing interpersonal skills such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and systems thinking. They contribute to the important conversations to be had and the approach to legal practice of the future. It takes a village to raise a lawyer.”