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It's always been stressful being a lawyer. In the early years you also have to build up your knowledge and you worry if you are doing things the right way. I used to take law books home when I was one year qualified as the firm I went to was small and the sole practioner didn't do civil litigation. However, by sheer determination I taught myself that area of law. I was also doing family, housing and wills and probate. I frequently worked late but I didn't look at it as stressful, I looked at it as an opportunity to be good at what I did. I don't think the workload is greater, I think this generation have a different attitude. That said, we have some great younger people working for us. But you do have to ask them on a very regular basis how they are feeling/coping. No one has ever asked me that in nearly thirty years of practice. What has worn me out is the number of years of working so hard, I think it eventually compounds.