Bullying in the Legal Profession: A Study of Illinois Lawyers’ Experiences and Recommendations for Change (Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism 2024) (press release):

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism initiated what is believed to be the first study on the prevalence and experiences of bullying in Illinois’ legal profession with the goal of identifying best practices for preventing it.

Although bullying impacts lawyers from all backgrounds, bullying disproportionately impacts female attorneys, attorneys with disabilities, attorneys of color, younger attorneys, and LGBTQ+ attorneys.

Gender
38% of female lawyers were bullied at work in the past year, compared to 15% of male lawyers

Disability
38% of lawyers with an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity were bullied in the past year, compared to 23% of lawyers without that level of disability

Race and ethnicity
In the past year:

• 36% of Middle Eastern/North African lawyers were bullied
• 35% of Black/African American lawyers were bullied
• 34% of Hispanic lawyers were bullied
• 32% of multiracial lawyers were bullied
• 28% of Asian American lawyers were bullied
• 23% of white lawyers were bullied

Age

• 39% of lawyers aged 25 to 35 were bullied in the past year; lawyers in this age group were more likely than others to report that they had been bullied
• The likelihood of being bullied decreases for each increasingly older group of lawyers
• 12% of lawyers aged 66 to 75 were bullied in the past year

Sexual orientation

• 29% of gay or lesbian lawyers were bullied in the past year as compared to 25% of heterosexual lawyers
• 29% of lawyers who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual were the target of verbal bullying related to their sexual orientation, while 3% of heterosexual lawyers were verbally bullied related to their sexual orientation

• ABA Journal, Hazed and Abused, Some Lawyers See Bullying as Part of Job While Others Leave, New Study Says
• Law 360, Bullying In Law Is Pervasive, Drives Turnover, Ill. Attys Say
• Reuters, Workplace Bullying Affects 1 in 4 Lawyers, Study Finds

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