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Love Your Lawyer Day

An annual observance on the first Friday in November recognizing the contributions of lawyers and encouraging the public to express appreciation for the legal profession.

Friday

November 2026

Last updated March 20, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team

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YEARLY DATEFirst Friday in November

OBSERVED INUnited States

CATEGORYCareers

SUBCATEGORYLegal

ORIGIN

Individual Initiative

FOUNDING ENTITY

Nader Anise / ALPIA

FIRST OBSERVED

2001

HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

Attorney Nader Anise created the observance in 2001 through the American Lawyers Public Image Association (ALPIA) to combat negative stereotypes about the legal profession. The American Bar Association officially recognized the day with a resolution in 2015.

INTRO

Introduction

PHOTO

Love Your Lawyer Day takes aim at a profession that ranks among the most essential and least appreciated in public life. Gallup's annual honesty and ethics poll consistently places lawyers in the bottom third of professions, below bankers and just above members of Congress, despite the fact that legal representation is one of the few rights explicitly guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

That gap between public dependence on lawyers and public disdain for them carries real consequences inside the profession. Attorneys experience depression at 3.6 times the rate of the general population, according to a Johns Hopkins study, and the American Bar Association has identified lawyer burnout as a systemic crisis that erodes the quality of legal services available to the public.

ORIGINS

Love Your Lawyer Day history

INTRODUCTION

Lawyers have occupied a complicated position in American culture since the colonial period. Early settlers relied on English common law but often represented themselves in court. By 1700, the growing complexity of judicial proceedings created demand for trained legal advocates, and the profession began formalizing through apprenticeships and, eventually, dedicated law schools.

The first U.S. law professorship was established at the College of William and Mary in 1779. The Litchfield Law School, founded in 1782 in Connecticut, became the first independent institution for legal training.

CHAPTER 01

A Profession Under Scrutiny

Despite the profession's central role in protecting individual rights and maintaining the rule of law, public perception of lawyers has historically been mixed. Surveys consistently show that while people trust their own attorneys, they distrust lawyers as a group. This paradox created the cultural environment that motivated Nader Anise to act.

CHAPTER 02

Founding and Growth

In 2001, Anise launched I Love My Lawyer Day through the American Lawyers Public Image Association (ALPIA), an organization he founded to counteract negative stereotyping of the legal profession. The name was later shortened to Love Your Lawyer Day. The holiday gained momentum within legal communities, with bar associations, law firms, and legal media outlets promoting the observance each November.

The American Bar Association formalized its support in 2015 with an official resolution, providing the day with institutional recognition from the profession's largest national organization.

CHAPTER 03

The Well-Being Crisis

The holiday's message of appreciation took on additional weight as research revealed the scale of mental health challenges within the profession. A 2016 joint study by the ABA and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation found that 28% of lawyers experienced depression and 21% reported problematic alcohol use. A separate Johns Hopkins study identified lawyers as having the highest depression rate of any occupation, 3.6 times the general population. These findings shifted the conversation around Love Your Lawyer Day from public image to professional survival.

TIMELINE

Love Your Lawyer Day Timeline

First U.S. law professorship established

The College of William and Mary created the first chair of law in the United States, appointing George Wythe to teach future lawyers including Thomas Jefferson's mentees.

American Bar Association founded

Seventy-five lawyers from 20 states and the District of Columbia established the ABA in Saratoga Springs, New York, creating the first national organization for the legal profession.

Anise creates Love Your Lawyer Day

Attorney Nader Anise launched the observance through the American Lawyers Public Image Association, originally naming it I Love My Lawyer Day before shortening the title.

ABA officially recognizes the day

The American Bar Association passed a resolution formally recognizing Love Your Lawyer Day, giving the observance institutional credibility within the legal profession.

ABA-Hazelden study quantifies lawyer distress

A joint study by the ABA and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation found that 28% of lawyers experienced depression, 19% had anxiety, and 21% reported problematic alcohol use.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

How to Celebrate Love Your Lawyer Day

Leave a public review for a lawyer who earned it

Post a detailed review on a professional directory or social media platform for a lawyer whose work made a real difference in your life. Public endorsements from satisfied clients counter the profession's negative stereotypes more effectively than any awareness campaign.

Send a specific thank-you to your attorney

Write a note to a lawyer who has helped you, referencing the specific situation they handled. Attorneys frequently receive criticism but rarely hear detailed appreciation for their work. A concrete acknowledgment of what they did and how it mattered carries more weight than a generic compliment.

Learn about pro bono legal services in your area

The ABA Pro Bono and Public Service resources connect individuals with free legal assistance programs. ABA Model Rule 6.1 recommends that every lawyer contribute 50 hours of pro bono work annually, and understanding these programs reveals how attorneys serve communities beyond their paying clients.

Explore the ABA's mental health resources for lawyers

Review the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs to understand the well-being challenges facing the profession. Sharing these resources with an attorney you know signals that their mental health matters beyond their billable hours.

Read about landmark cases that shaped your rights

Browse the Oyez Supreme Court database to explore oral arguments and decisions in cases that established the rights you exercise daily. Understanding the legal reasoning behind freedoms like speech, due process, and equal protection adds substance to appreciating the lawyers who argued those cases.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why Love Your Lawyer Day is Important

Representation is shifting but incomplete

Women now constitute 41% of active attorneys, up from just 3% in 1970, and law school enrollment reached 56% women in 2024. Love Your Lawyer Day provides context for recognizing how dramatically the profession's demographics have changed while highlighting the diversity gaps that remain.

Lawyers face the highest occupational depression rate

A Johns Hopkins study found that lawyers experience depression at 3.6 times the rate of the general population, the highest of any profession measured. Love Your Lawyer Day provides an annual moment to acknowledge the emotional toll of adversarial legal work and the personal cost of defending other people's rights.

The profession serves 1.37 million practitioners

According to ABA data, approximately 1.37 million active lawyers practice in the United States as of 2025, a population that has grown 15% over the past decade. Love Your Lawyer Day recognizes a workforce whose daily output directly affects contracts, civil liberties, criminal justice, and corporate governance across the country.

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