STRESS, LITIGATION AND LITIGATORS: USEFUL LINKS TO AVOID AND DEAL WITH PROBLEMS
The post earlier this week on the solicitor who went to great lengths to make up litigation led to the most visitors to this blog in one day. It also led to wide coverage on twitter. What was noticeable was that, although the story was difficult to believe, there was no gloating by lawyers. Indeed the few responses received were sympathetic.
One solicitor, whose is extremely experienced and whose judgement I respect tweeted:
“You know I find I’m feeling incredibly sorry for the lawyer! He must have got into a world of hell #noescape“
A post on this blog earlier this week dealt with the fact that, as lawyers, we are not trained to consider the matter from the client’s view and the stress caused to the client. Nor are we trained to consider the issue of stress to ourselves or our colleagues. The problem of lawyers and stress, particularly litigators under stress, is an international phenomena. For that reason I have attempted to put many of the practical guides on avoiding stress, together with some general articles on stress, in one place.Here are some links from around the world on avoiding and dealing with stress for lawyers in general and, where possible, litigators in particular.
(After the first post of this blog I received recommendations from lawyers as to other links. I am placing these in a separate section below).
THE FIGURES ON STRESS AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION
The statistics are troubling. In 2012 Legal Futures reported that a fifth of lawyers who responded to a survey on stress in the legal profession are currently suffering from clinical depression or another mental illness.
USEFUL LINKS
I thought that there were would be a few links on this issue. There are hundreds. I have been selective. On the whole I have selected those most relevant to litigation lawyers in particular and lawyers generally.
Practical guidance on avoiding and dealing with stress
- The CBA Practice Link on Coping with Stress and Avoiding Burnout: Techniques for Lawyers
- The Pascoe difference on Stress Management for Lawyers: a book report.
- Psychology Today has an article by Tyger Latham on The Depressed Lawyer (See the useful 10 tips at the end of the article).
- Here are some observations from a chatboard on Litigation Lawyers – Advice on not being stressed out.
- Jennifer Alvey writes on Simple Tips for a Less Stressful Lawyer Life
- Mastering Stress and Finding Meaning as a Lawyer
Practical links from Lawyers with Depression
There is a blog “Lawyers with Depression” These links are taken from that blog.
- Gunslingers: How Lawyers Can Better Handle Stress
- 4 Tips to Change the Way you Deal with Stress
- Stress Proof Your Work Life
- On Balance: 7 Ways to Manage Stress and Thrive in the Law
- When Stress is Good & How to Manage the Bad Stuff Better.
- Lawyerist on Stress Management for Overwhelmed Lawyers
- Preventing Depression, Burnout and Stress in the Legal Profession.
- Lawyer Burnout (includes a strategy for avoiding burnout).
- Leading a Simpler Life can Ease Lawyer Depression
- Lawyers, Look after Yourselves: Things to do, or not to do, to improve your overall wellbeing
- Overwhelmed? 8 Tips to Avoid Burnout and Balance your Life
- 10 Ways for Lawyers to Deal with their Depression
- Stressed and Depressed Guys in Blue Suits
- 10 Top Books on Stress, Stress Management and Anxiety
- Take Control: Ten Free Apps for Depressed Lawyers
GENERAL ARTICLES ON LAWYERS AND STRESS
- Why Lawyers Suffer from Twice the Rate of Depression
- Being a Lawyer: Stress and its physical manifestations
- The Oregon State Bar – Burnout Cautionary Tales
- The role of stress and anxiety in depression in the legal profession
- The Law Society Gazette on: Shifting the Burden: Support for Stress
- The FT on Lawyers Laid Low by Timesheets
- Why Lawyers are Unhappy
- Burnout: a necessary part of lawyers lives?
- Lawblog on A Post about Lawyers and Stress
- Inebriation, Intervention and Insight: A trial lawyer finds his soul
- Workloads creating more stress for lawyers than financial difficulties
- The Lawyers Defence Group on Depression the Hidden Hazard
RECOMMENDED LINKS
- There is a blog “The Anxious Lawyer”that posts on Saner Law Practice, Using Mediation and Mindfulness
- One tweet recommended “ban all client calls”. I don’t know if I can recommend that extreme. However I can recommend this article on Client Communication and Contact. This issue of client communications is clearly an area of stress for lawyers.
Reblogged this on DOMINIQUE HOGAN-DORAN and commented:
As a member of the NSW Bar’s Health & Wellbeing Committee, I thank you Gordon for your kind-hearted contribution to these issues.
Thank you Dominique. I have had nearly 50 visitors from Australia on the blog today. I guess they all come from you.
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