The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Episode 12: Why Lawyer Wellbeing Matters
Is the high-stakes world of law taking a toll on your mental health? Discover why prioritizing wellbeing can not only save your career but also enrich your personal life in our latest episode of The Grace Period. Our host, Emily Logan Stedman, brings to light the often-ignored mental health struggles faced by attorneys, including depression, anxiety, and burnout. Learn about the progressive policies some firms are adopting, such as flexible work schedules and on-site psychological services, aimed at fostering a more sustainable and humane legal profession.
In this candid conversation, we emphasize the critical role individual attorneys play in safeguarding their own wellbeing. Setting boundaries, practicing selfcare, and seeking support are not just buzzwords but essential strategies for thriving in the legal world.
Emily also teases a personal story to be revealed in our next episode, focusing on real life struggles with mental health and burnout. Our key message? A fulfilling legal career is possible without sacrificing your personal health. Join us for an honest discussion that could change the way you approach your professional journey.
Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.
Welcome to the Grace Period where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Steadman. In this demanding profession, it is crucial that we don't lose ourselves in the hustle for billable hours. On the Grace Period, we have honest conversations about finding consistency, minimizing chaos, developing coping strategies and destigmatizing mental health. It is time to prioritize our shared humanity, to find our grace period. So far, on this season of the grace period, we've defined well-being and lawyer well-being, noting that it covers much more than just mental health. It includes every aspect of our whole human selves. Today we'll talk about why this even matters for lawyers and the legal profession. Let's dig in To start. The law is a service profession. We give of ourselves to help our clients, no matter whether we're in public interest, government or private practice, and we are trained to put our clients and often our bosses first, usually at the expense of our own boundaries, health and well-being. Because we give of ourselves, we also deplete our personal and internal resources. If we do not pause to refill and recoup those resources to take care of ourselves, we will run out of self to give, we will burn out.
Speaker 1:I said in the last episode that I try to come at well-being differently, or at least non-stereotypically. That is true, and yet we must address the elephant in the room the statistics. The truth is that attorneys self-report at levels higher than the general public of having experienced depression, anxiety, substance use or abuse and more. These numbers grow for big law attorneys. These numbers are higher for millennial and Gen Z attorneys. I don't tell you this to scare you or make you feel guilty about being an attorney or like there's no hope. I share these statistics because we cannot improve the profession if we do not know where we are starting and the stigma around these concerns is very, very real.
Speaker 1:Just recently I received some feedback about a well-being CLE. Attendees or potential attendees expressed nervousness about going to the CLE in person. They were afraid of what their bosses or colleagues might think if they were seen at a CLE on well-being and burnout for civil litigators. Even more disheartening is that today, in 2024, attorneys who seek help still often pay out of pocket why they fear that their company or firm will see their use of insurance benefits for mental health and other support and make judgment about it. How horrible. This simply must change, and it starts with acknowledging where we stand today. It also changes by talking about it. We must lead by example, we must be vulnerable, otherwise change will never come. And change is not impossible. It's very possible.
Speaker 1:Some big firms are already making headway. For example, orec implemented an agile work program. This allows lawyers more flexibility about when and where they work. The result Improved productivity and employee satisfaction.
Speaker 1:My firm, hush Blackwell firmed a virtual office. It's run just like a brick-and-mortar office and it's called the Link. It has an office managing partner, an office administrator, and it allows attorneys to work remotely nationwide. It has improved retention and allowed our firm to grow significantly. It has also improved our firm's ability and focus on engagement of employees. Finally, it improves the ability of attorneys working out of our brick and mortar offices, like me, to implement flexible work schedules and work location. As I record this episode, I'm living up north, in northern Wisconsin, for five weeks.
Speaker 1:Because of my firm's embracing of flexibility, and contrary to popular belief, a lot of us are more consistently in the office because we feel less pressure to be there every day and more empowered to make the choice based on what works for us and our schedules each day, treating people like adults and empowering them to have ownership of, for example, working from home or not, makes a huge difference in workplace satisfaction and having a sense of autonomy two critical factors for improving lawyer well-being. Another firm, morgan Lewis, took a different approach. They offer on-site psychological services to attorneys and business professionals. This helps de-stigmatize getting help, something very much needed in our profession. You see, well-being is not just yoga and meditation, those things fewer mistakes. We build strong client and colleague relationships. We are much more likely to stay with our firms long term, contrary to the myth that says otherwise. Improving attorney well-being improves our firm's bottom lines. It is simply better for business.
Speaker 1:But we cannot wait on our firms or companies to make these changes. Some have and some will, but some won't. We then can and should make change on an individual level within our own personal zones of influence. As individual attorneys, we need to take responsibility for our own well-being too. This might mean setting boundaries, learning to say no or seeking help when we need it. I'm not saying any of this will be easy. In fact, it's often much easier said than done. Easy, in fact, it's often much easier said than done. That's true because our profession has a long history of glorifying overwork and perfectionism because we work in a traditional and hierarchical field. But for the sake of our health, our clients and the future of our profession, we need to start prioritizing well-being, not just for ourselves and our firms and our clients, but for those we love and who love us. So what can you do? Start small. Maybe it's taking a proper lunch break or actually using your vacation. Maybe it's having an honest conversation with your supervisor about your workload.
Speaker 1:My goal with season two of the grace period is to try to provide more examples of what you can do to make a difference here for yourself and others. Be sure to check out season one, as I provided some tips there as well. Remember, a well lawyer is a better lawyer, and isn't that what we all strive to be? Ultimately? The legal profession is at a crossroads. We can continue down the path of burnout and disillusionment or we can choose a new direction, one that values well-being alongside billable hours. The choice is ours. What will you choose?
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. I hope this discussion has provided some insights about why attorneys and all stakeholders in our profession should care about well-being. Next week, I'll share my story with mental health, low mood, burnout and lawyer well-being. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your well-being for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.
