Fortifying the Leadership
Although there are exceptions, most firms and chambers will be headed up by people in their 40s. Occasionally they are in their 30s, sometimes in their 50s (or older). Either way a significant chunk of the legal world is headed up by people in their 40s.
One could say that this merely reflects how things operate in other occupations. There is a measure of truth in this but it is not entirely accurate. Many lawyers will be looking to head off to the bench or some other appointment as they enter their 50s. In many firms or areas you can be seen as burnt out or past it. In other areas of life some encourage responsibility or control early on, in others the flowering may come later in life.
Whichever way you look at it, the recent survey by researchers from the University of Warwick in England and Dartmouth College in United States did not make pleasant reading. This was a survey that related to happiness and mental health. Unlike many surveys, it would hardly be possible to suggest that the statistical sample used was too low. A million people were interviewed in Britain alone, the overall total exceeding 2 million.
The survey found a distinct pattern. In graphic terms (as displayed on a graph, although since much of the evidence tended this way and the conclusion was striking, the alternative meaning of graphic would be equally applicable) happiness across the years follows a U shape. People are happier in youth, happier in old age, with the biggest low coming in middle age. What researchers described as a "reality check". In Britain the age at the bottom of the U when people were at their most depressed was 44.
Ah you might think, this might be true of most people but those hitting the peak of their careers will be things rather differently. Of course any trend will always have exceptions. However the study found that your occupation, your sex, your marital status or whether you had children didn't alter the trend. For most people being successful doesn't exempt you from the U-shape. Even millionaires and those at the top of their profession seem to suffer from the same problem.
One alternative conclusion from the report was less than gratifying. Why would people seem to get happier as they got older when their position was worse? One suggestion was that it was because as you got older you accepted things and were more inclined to appreciate what you've got rather than what you hadn't. The less attractive option was the worst cases of feeling down simply died of one natural cause or another in early middle age (having been "softened up" by their mental state and hence susceptible to heart attacks etc) and therefore it altered the statistics for more elderly.
Either way the forties is obviously regarded as a tough time whether from the point of view of happiness or mental health. Think of this when you are regarding your senior partners or head of chambers with a mixture of envy and annoyance. If they are in their mid-40s they've got enough problems without you adding to them. Better fortify them with support than add to the misery.
The follow-up research I would like to see, which would be particularly relevant for the legal world, is how this affects strategic decision-making. Does being in the U incline you against risks, or make you go for broke, or does it depend on the underlying personality? When firms and chambers seek to respond to the Legal Services Act changes as they come in, we might see some practical demonstrations of either or both.
I apologise in advance to anyone reading this who is celebrating their 44th birthday. Given the conclusions of the report though, you could not really blame this article for how you feel in any event.