Long nights, financial worries causes of mental health issues among lawyers; we need to stop glorifying burnout: CJI DY Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Wednesday bemoaned the fact that those in the legal profession tend to take pride in the extra-long hours associated with their jobs, leading to mental health issues. .The CJI said that there are several causes for mental health issues among lawyers including burden of work and financial worries. "One cause is the adversarial tenure. People take pride in it which makes it stressful. Long nights, overworked, financial worries ... Mental health can improve performance in long run. We have developed a system which awards excellence at the cost of everything else," he said.He, therefore, stressed on the need to stop glorifying burnout. "We need to stop glorifying overwork or burnout. We need to increase holistic working. We need to dispel the stigma of mental health issues around the profession," the CJI underscored.He was speaking after being presented with Harvard Law School's Award for Global Leadership..The CJI while in conversation with Professor David B Wilkins over virtual conference, also spoke about the need to pay lawyers a decent income.In this regard, he touched on the exclusionary aspects of the profession. "Those who do not work in corporate law are not compensated properly. We need to adopt an intersectional approach concerning mental health. In some areas, law is still a feudal profession and where exclusion is existing and it is difficult for minorities, queers, women. Mental health can improve performance in long run."The CJI opined that the concept of merit in the profession needs to redefined. "Affirmative action should foster merit and not exclude it, and take in its fold those who has been stereotyped," he said..CJI Chandrachud conceded that that the legal profession has been slow in adopting technology, yet one needs to acknowledge the digital divide. "No one thinks we will go back totally to the physical form of hearings ... The real challenge before us is to go beyond just being paperless and instead use technology to bring about a digital transformation. The Supreme Court is no longer a Supreme Court in Delhi but is truly the Supreme Court of India."He added that virtual hearings enabled more women to appear during the pandemic, and that live-streaming of proceedings promotes a sense of confidence in the working of courts."Technology gives us a medium to replace the colonial model of justice where litigants had to reach out for justice and here the institution can reach out to dispense justice.".Professor Wilkins was all praise for the CJI's doctoral thesis while at Harvard Law School. "In two years, you produced a thesis/350 pages one volume and another volume of 350 pages. I could not lift both of them. Your thesis was exceptionally prescient."Read more about what CJI Chandrachud said here. .[Follow our coverage of the event]