So many lawyers are indicating job stress, dissatisfaction, and
unbalanced life! A study by a major life insurance company revealed that 35%
of new employees left their previous position because of stress.
Yes, legal practice nowadays appears to be almost inseparable from high
stress levels. Actually, some "positive" stress good for us – humans would die
without any stress at all. However, lots of responsibility without control is
dis-stress and studies have shown this kind of stress is a major cause of bad
health and unfortunate career consequences.
Some unhappy lawyers will procrastinate until they burn out and "retire on
the job" – getting paid but putting in only a half-hearted effort.
Unfortunately a few will let the stress of practising law ruin their personal
and family life and their health. Hopefully most lawyers – whether an
associate aged 30 or a senior partners aged 50 – will recognise the need for a
"career checkup" from time to time, including an honest self-assessment.
Success and gratification within a firm and the profession are reflective
of significant issues, demands and requirements. The 5 Ps to success include:
- Profits - each and every member of a law firm or corporate legal
department is concerned about profits;
- Performance - job performance and the meeting of company goals or
clients’ expectations;
- Productivity - including billable hours and client development;
- Personal satisfaction - including meeting both financial needs and job
based gratification necessary to stay interested and motivated in your
practice;
- Professional liability – or risk from clients who increasing perceive
lawyers and law firms are negligent in the handling of their legal affairs.
If any of these 5 Ps are limiting or hindering you, it may have an adverse
effect on your relationships with colleagues, staff and clients, resulting in
dissension and economic losses to the firm. Some lawyers have created "dual
careers": putting their personalities into escrow until after 6pm and then
actively enjoying writing, acting, painting, sports or studying for a second
career ambition or goal.
For others, there are three options available. The first is changing jobs
and doing the same type of work in a different, lower-key setting – a move
requiring the least amount of re-thinking and planning. Next is career
alteration – using legal skills and background in a different setting like law
lecturer, government, etc. Third and most radical is career transition or the
pursuit of another career very different from practicing law.
Most lawyers have "tunnel vision" – an inability to see what else they
could do with their qualifications and experience. A law degree actually
offers considerable flexibility and most of us will remember that less than
half our graduating class actually planned to pursue a career as a lawyer.
In the early 1990s Deborah Arron wrote a book called "Running from the Law: why good lawyers
are getting out of the legal profession". She noted "lawyers are innately
creative people who entered an uncreative profession… when your self esteem is
so tied up in being a lawyer it’s hard to give up, even when you become more
interested in something else. It’s hard to let go."
Not a few lawyers who leave the profession find that the price to pay is a
huge drop in earning potential….. perhaps to half. They can also find that
colleagues and acquaintances, even family and friends, react with scorn,
assuming that they are quitters. There is little recognition that someone who
has the attributes to be a good lawyer may not have the temperament or may
have too many other abilities crying out to be developed.
You can work out a different way,
whether to remain a lawyer but in a more rewarding way or to get out of a
personal and professional rut that could eventually hurt you, your family,
your firm and your clients. Recognising and managing transition is not easy,
but it is possible. It’s your choice.
