Lawyers, play pivotal role of navigating the complexities, managing clients from those accused of grave offences to innocent individuals with profound distress, who entrust legal professionals. The Indian judiciary, grapples with an overwhelming backlog of roughly 5.3 crore pending cases as of 2025, starkly overshadowing other Asian nations (estimate- China: 0.21 crore; South Korea: 0.2 crore; Sri Lanka: 0.11 crore), amplifying the pressure on lawyers. places immense pressure on lawyers. Positioned as advocates, confidants, and mediators, engaging both virtuous and darker facets of society, they interact with guilty and innocent clients in the emotionally charged, high-stakes courtroom environment, where their personality traits profoundly shape client trust, case outcomes, and judicial perceptions. Their personality traits critically influence client trust, case outcomes, and judicial perceptions, shaping legal efficacy and client's welfare. The study examines moral distress, empathy, moral disengagement, dark triad traits, wisdom, and burnout among lawyers. A sample of 150 lawyers was analyzed using quantitative methods. Results reveal: (1) dark triad traits positively influence moral distress and moral disengagement; (2) moral distress and moral disengagement negatively impact empathy; (3) wisdom negatively influences moral distress and moral disengagement; and (4) wisdom positively influences empathy, emerging as a crucial moderating variable. These findings underscore wisdom’s pivotal role in mitigating moral distress and fostering empathy. The study concludes that cultivating wisdom and empathy in legal education is essential for preparing law students to meet the profession's psychological demands, reduce burnout, and enhance ethical decision-making.

Authors:
Harshita Sharma, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, India
Abhishek Sharma, Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, India

About the Presenter(s)
Harshita Sharma, PhD Research Scholar at Sardar Patel University of Police, Jodhpur. Interested in psychology, rehabilitation, and social justice; currently researching criminal behaviour and holistic rehabilitation models.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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