Press Release  New Interactive Web Tool Launched by the SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being

BOSTON, MA — The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being has launched an Interactive Web Tool for viewing data. The tool provides six dashboards that include demographic, employment, and professional characteristics of lawyers in Massachusetts presented in tables, charts, and a county-level map. The tool also compares Massachusetts’ lawyers to the general population of Massachusetts.

In 2020, the SJC amended Rule 4:02, entitled “Periodic Registration of Attorneys,” to include a requirement that attorneys complete a demographic and law practice survey the results of which will be used solely for the purpose of developing services and programs to aid lawyers. Pursuant to the amended version of Rule 4:02, all registering attorneys must complete the Attorney Demographic and Law Practice Survey as part of the registration process with the Board of Bar Overseers (BBO). Responses are not associated with BBO Attorney accounts and do not contain identifiable information that would reveal any individual’s identity. Data is stored confidentially and anonymously with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization. 

According to the 2019 SJC Steering Committee on Lawyer Well-Being Report, the collection of this data is intended to address “concerns about a lack of diversity in the Commonwealth’s legal community” and “to create programs to better address the needs related to equitable participation in the legal community.” The data will also provide insights to offer programs and services to help lawyers improve their professional and personal well-being.

The Interactive Web Tool initially provides insights from 78,198 lawyers who registered with the Board of Bar Overseers from November 11, 2021 to November 10, 2022. The SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being will populate this Interactive Web Tool on an annual basis, providing additional insights, trends, and comparisons over time.

Information about the Standing Committee is available at www.lawyerwellbeingma.org.

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