UPDATE ON USEFUL LINKS ON STRESS, LAWYERS AND LAW: TIPS FOR A LESS STRESSFUL LIFE AND PRACTICE
Periodically I reproduce and update available guidance on stress for lawyers. Here are useful links to posts about preventing, and dealing with, stress as a lawyer and litigator.
HELPFUL LINKS
- Ulaw blog considers research that looked at thousands of lawyers in the U.S. and Canada. That showed a paradox. There was a correlation between depression and “success”. “lawyers who attained the pinnacle level of success in large, competitive firms might appear to actually be the most unhappy.”
- The Law Society of Ireland has a recent publication Managing Stress in the Law
- Yuriy Moshes, P.C. has a useful post How Lawyers Can Avoid Burnout and Debilitating Anxiety There is a particular emphasis on litigators.
“Litigation in particular tends to result in high levels of stress among attorneys. This is in large part attributable to the nature of litigation as compared to transactional work. The American system of justice is by its very nature adversarial with two opposing parties with opposite viewpoints.
Litigation attorneys necessarily work with very difficult people for a living; people who will refuse to give an inch unless they are allowed to take a mile in return.”
- Cerys Palmer in Business News Wales A Fresh Perspective on Overcoming Stress in the Legal Profession
- Five essential Stress Management Tips for Lawyers.
- The Bar Council Mental Health & Wellbeing at the Bar
Practical guidance on avoiding and dealing with stress
- The CBA Practice Link on Coping with Stress and Avoiding Burnout: Techniques for Lawyers
- 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
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
- 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
- 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 FT on Lawyers Laid Low by Timesheets
- 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.