I didn’t choose the law—but I have come to deeply respect it.
When I decided to get my doctorate in counseling, it was an intentional decision. My path veered away from the courtroom and toward the therapy room because I was most drawn to human emotion—not evidence, but experience; not argument, but understanding. The biggest difference between counseling and law, in my view, is this: the law seeks to determine what is right, while therapy seeks to understand what is real.
Still, over the years, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the power and necessity of the legal field. In fact, some of my most meaningful clinical experiences have been working alongside attorneys, not as a legal partner—but as a mental health ally. I’ve had the honor of supporting legal professionals through burnout, compassion fatigue, and career pivots. I’ve also been called to provide psychological evaluations and mental health assessments needed for the court system, bridging two professions that—while different—share a deep responsibility to human wellbeing.
Whether you're fighting a legal battle or standing at the helm of someone else's, mental health matters. Here are a few, what I hope are helpful, takeaways from my experience thus far between mental health and law:
When You're in a Legal Fight, Don’t Forget to Fight for Your Mental Health
The emotional toll of a legal dispute—be it family law, criminal defense, personal injury, or civil litigation—can be staggering. Truly, it has produced some of the highest and most intense forms of stress on the body and person that I have seen in my clinical work. I think in large part it is due to the drawn-out nature of the experience, the unknown future, and the lack of control. For many clients, the legal process isn’t just procedural; it’s personal and vulnerable. It's a fight for custody, safety, dignity, reputation, or recovery.
But too often, the toll on mental health goes unseen. For those shaking their fists at the jury and those sitting behind the big, oak desk (perhaps I have watched too much Law & Order…). Anxiety, insomnia, depression, or even trauma symptoms can emerge during prolonged legal conflict. Individuals can become emotionally paralyzed, unable to focus, engage with loved ones, or maintain their work. In some cases, legal battles retraumatize the client and can traumatize the attorney.
Gerry Spence, the legendary trial attorney, is an author whose works I found myself drawn to recently to become more competent and aware on the field of law to better serve my clients and colleagues. He wrote in How to Win Your Case, “If you’re not emotionally involved, your client is not getting your best effort.” It struck me that this is true for the client, too. If you're not emotionally supported, you cannot make your best decisions.
Legal strength requires emotional resilience and high emotional intelligence. I do not care what the media and culture says about the “cold, hard” attorneys- most attorneys I have worked with are the most emotionally aware and insightful people I have encounter. Unfortunately, they also tend to have those parts of them in constant battle with the individual or system they are trying to support. And that’s where mental health care steps in—not just as an optional luxury, but as an essential companion to the legal journey for client and attorney.
Lawyers, Attorneys, and the Quiet Burnout Epidemic
Let me speak directly now to those who practice law: You are the keepers of justice, and too often, you do so while silencing your own suffering, addiction, and pain.
Lawyers face very unique mental health challenges—long hours, adversarial environments (too say the least), secondary trauma from clients, ethical burdens, and often, little time or space to process it all. The culture of law does not always allow room for vulnerability. But ignoring your mental health doesn’t make you stronger—it makes you at risk. Risk of burnout, risk of more negative mental health outcomes, risk of increased family stress… the list goes on.
Spence also writes: “The most dangerous lawyer is the one who is willing to admit he doesn’t know.” I find the same to be true in therapy. Practicing humility and showing self awareness can be the most forgotten train in the court room- yet, it can be your most powerful. The most courageous person in the room is often the one willing to say, I need support. Collaboration is essential to foster growth, no matter what your goal may be. Whether it is professional or personal, are you supported? One of my go to lines for advocacy around mental health support that I share with attorneys is this: if professional athletes have coaches and trainers, why don’t you?
I've had the privilege of sitting across from many lawyers—brilliant, dedicated, exhausted—and helping them return to themselves. We worked through burnout, anxiety, panic attacks, marital stress, and sometimes, moral injury. And in each of those cases, I saw resilience rekindled.
Mental health support is not a weakness in the legal world. It is your strongest form of professional sustainability.
A Bridge Worth Building
As a mental health professional, I see my work as quietly woven into the broader systems that shape lives—one of which is the legal system. Whether I'm offering forensic evaluations, collaborating with court-ordered therapy cases, or providing treatment to attorneys and their families, I am reminded of the power of these two fields to work in tandem.
Gerry Spence once said, “The law is not a game. It is not a contest of wits. It is the search for truth.” The same could be said for therapy. See! We aren’t so different after all!
Together, law and mental health serve a higher function: restoring dignity, seeking justice, and helping individuals move forward—whether through the legal system or the healing process… or both if we are lucky.
In Closing
I may not have chosen the law, but I’ve come to honor it deeply. And more importantly, I’ve come to recognize that behind every legal case is a human being. Sometimes, that human is a client. Sometimes, it’s the attorney.
To those facing legal challenges: Your mental health is part of your case. Protect it.
To those serving justice every day: Your wellbeing is not a footnote—it is foundational.
Let’s continue to build bridges between our fields. At the intersection of law and mental health is where some of the most powerful healing can begin.
Dr. Hanna Cespedes is a licensed professional counselor, clinical supervisor, and founder of Pacifica Counseling & Psychiatry. She offers specialized care for professionals in high-stress fields and provides evaluations for court-involved individuals. Learn more www.pacificacounselingllc.com
