Wellness and Balance
Healthy lawyers make healthy practices: LAWPRO’s support for mental health and wellness resources
Mental health challenges in the legal profession are often ignored, stigmatized, and untreated. This not only leads to poorer quality of life for lawyers and their families, it is a contributing cause of many malpractice claims. This is why, for over a decade, LAWPRO and the Law Society of Ontario have co-funded wellness and mental… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and Balance, Risk Management & Claims PreventionNew York Times feature “The Lawyer, The Addict”
The New York Times has published an excellent article called “The Lawyer, The Addict” about a lawyer who succumbed to a secret drug addiction and his ex-wife’s attempts to piece together how he could maintain a successful legal career while hiding his problems right to the very end. The article explores the toll drugs and… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and BalanceHow unhealthy lawyers affect client service
Almost all lawyers experience stress, but unless it becomes toxic, there is little risk to the client. Occasionally things get truly out of control. That’s when important deadlines are missed, communication with the client diminishes (or ends), and files languish. In extreme cases, the lawyer ‘pretends’ to practice by misrepresenting to the client that work… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and BalanceAn office of one’s own: 5 essentials for your home away from home
New lawyers, welcome to the practice of law. You now have an office of your own. You’ll be spending many of your waking hours plying your trade in this new little corner of the world. Make it a comfortable and professional place to work. Be prepared for unexpected events. What should you keep in your… Read More »
Categories: Career Management, Wellness and BalanceLet technology be your path to wellness
Safety apps People who travel alone, work with violent accused, or find themselves in other potentially dangerous situations may want to try out personal safety smartphone apps. These work in a variety of ways: they can allow loved ones to track you remotely via GPS; send out an alert to friends if you fail to… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and BalanceFeeling emotional? Don’t hit send!
It’s 11pm and your phone beeps. Against your better judgment you pick it up and see it’s a client email. Soon you’re sucked into a missive about the latest calamity in your client’s life, the client’s anxiety about the case, and what you will do about everything. You sense your own anger and frustration rise… Read More »
Categories: Communication Errors, Wellness and BalanceThe Stresses & Challenges of Being a Lawyer: When Technology Doesn’t Help
In addition to all the pressures lawyers face described in the article The Day to Day Stresses & Challenges of Being a Lawyer, technology has increased the pace of practice. While increasing efficiency, the constant flow of new products and applications can create just as much anxiety. The key is to use technology – don’t… Read More »
Categories: Legal Technology, Wellness and BalanceLet it R.A.I.N. – a journey into mindfulness
French philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne said it well – “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune, most of which never happened.” When things are not going the way we want, we sometimes create the illusion that they are worse than they actually are. In her book “Self-Compassion,” Dr. Kristin Neff, Ph.D. suggests being… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and Balance