Buttercup Goes to Law School

Allen J Baron P , ‘Of Caterpillars and Butterflies: The Introduction of Metamorphosis at the UWA Law School’ (2001) 35 Law Teacher 346; Allen J Baron P , ‘Innovation and Resistance’; (1999) Australian Law Teachers Association Conference Proceedings.

Eaton W Anthony J Mandel W Garrison R , ‘Occupations and the Prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder’ (1990) 32 Journal of Occupation Medicine 1079 found lawyers had the highest incidence of major depressive disorder among 104 occupational groups. Beck CJA Sales BD Benjamin CAH , ‘Lawyer Distress: Alcohol Abuse and Cocaine Abuse Among United States Lawyers’ (1995) 10 Journal of Law and Health 1 found depression, anxiety, phobia and interpersonal sensitivity 5–15 times more prevalent amongst lawyers. See also Allen R B , ‘Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Lawyers: Are we Ready to Address the Denial?’ (1997) 31 Creighton Law Review 265; Daicoff S , Lawyer Know Thyself: A Psychological Analysis of Personality Strengths and Weaknesses (2004; American Psychological Association, Washington DC).

Shanfield SB Benjamin GA , ‘Psychiatric Distress in Law Students’ (1985) 35 Journal Legal Education 65 compared law students to medical students and to the general population and found that law students had a significantly higher rate of anxiety, depression, hostility and paranoia.

Reich S , ‘California Psychological Inventory: Profile of a Sample of First Year Law Students’ (1976) 39 Psychol Rep 871.

Benjamin G A H Kaszniak A Sales B Shanfield SB , ‘The Role of Legal Education in Producing Psychological Distress Among Law Students and Lawyers’ (1986) American Bar Foundation Research Journal 225.

McColl Gina , ‘A Wig and a Prayer’ (2004) Sept 30-Oct 6 Business Review Weekly, 46.

Ibid.

Kreiger L S , ‘What We're Not Telling Law Students — and Lawyers — that They Really Need to Know: Some Thoughts-in-Acting towards Revitalizing the Profession from its Roots’ (1998) 13 Journal of Law and Health 1.

Sheldon K M Kreiger L S , ‘Does Legal Education Have Undermining Effects on Law Students? Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values and Wellbeing’ (2004) 22 Behavioural Sciences and Law 261.

Carrington P Conley J J , ‘The Alienation of Law Students’ (1977) 75 Mich L Rev 887.

As far as we are aware, there have been no studies in Australia that have sought to follow up the US studies empirically, although there has been some acknowledgement of the issues raised by these studies in the literature. See for instance Parker Christine , ‘What do they Learn when they Learn Legal Ethics?’ (2001) 12 (1 & 2) Legal Ed Rev 175 at 181; Goldsmith Andrew , ‘Warning: Law School Can Endanger Your Health!’ (1995) 21 Monash U L Rev 272.

There appears to be a gender bias in the sample. Nevertheless, there are more women than men enrolled in law at UWA. First year statistics for law in 2004 show an enrolment of 127 men to 179 woman

In the 2001 Census, the two most common ancestries identified within WA were English and Australian, together accounting for 74.2%: See Australian Bureau of Statistics (‘ABS’), ‘2001 Census Basic Community Profile and Snapshot’, available at <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@census.nsf/Lookup2001Census/D7B3B8ED6083E71CA256BBF000171DB#Birthplace> at 14 November 2004.

We suggest this would accord with the 2001 census figures which showed that 70% of adults had exercised for recreation, sport or fitness during the previous two weeks: ABS, note13, available at <http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/c35cc256682bc0ca256dea00053a7a!OpenDocument>at 10 November 2004.

This is rather higher than the 2001 census figures which showed that 15.5% of Australians identified as having no religious belief: ABS, note13, <http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/e8ae5488b598839cca25682000131612/cac1a34167e36be3ca2568a900139364!OpenDocument> at 10 November 2004.

The necessary entrance score for law at UWA is very high. In 2004, law required a TEE score of 97.85 compared to 93.90 for engineering/science: <http://www.uwa.edu.au/prospective/undergrad/courses/cutoff_ranks> at 10 November 2004.

McColl , above n 6, 46.

Ibid.

Ibid 47.

Carrington Conley , above n 10.

Deci EL Ryan R M , ‘The “What” and “Why” of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-determination of Behavior’ (2000) 11 Psychological Inquiry 227.