Managing Burnout in the Legal Profession & Making Health and Wellness a Priority

BE WELL

BY THERESA GOLDE, BLAZIER, CHRISTENSEN, BROWDER & VIRR

I came across the following quote once, and it has stuck with me: “If you don’t make time for health, you’ll have to make time for illness.” Life and work keep going, and it is easy to put our health on the backburner because at any given time, we are focused on our more immediate needs. I surely am guilty of this. While I will forever remember the words from this quote, I certainly have much to learn on prioritizing health and wellness in my own life.

I sought the advice of Dr. Ilona Salmons, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist and leadership consultant who has focused her career on attorney well-being. She has a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, where she conducted her research on wellness in the legal profession and published her dissertation, Best Practices for Managing Burnout in Attorneys. Dr. Salmons chose to work with attorneys because she identified a need that was not being addressed. “The legal profession is notoriously challenging,” she said. “The long hours, high stakes, demanding clients, interpersonal adversity, and competing deadlines are characteristic of a career in the law and put attorneys at a greater risk of developing burnout and other mental health symptoms.” She explained that attorneys often fail to get the support they need because many are concerned about appearing “weak” to their colleagues, firm partners, and opposing counsel.

To manage burnout, Dr. Salmons recommends a three-tier approach, with prevention as the first crucial step.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Dr. Salmons explained that a person who is burned out may experience physical and mental exhaustion, feel cynical about work, and observe a noticeable decrease in their productivity.

To manage burnout, Dr. Salmons recommends a three-tier approach, with prevention as the first crucial step. For instance, she explained that engaging in regular self-care practices can help us handle the demands of our profession. Rather than constantly telling ourselves we’ll just take a break later (e.g., next time we take a vacation), it is important that we incorporate self-care into our routine, including setting priorities and being realistic, learning to say “NO” (as difficult as that might be), planning ahead, being fair and kind to yourself and to others (e.g., giving yourself the same benefit of the doubt as you would your colleagues), getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising. Dr. Salmons noted that she encourages her clients to “work hard, but self-care harder.”

Managing burnout also involves creating a comfortable forum in our profession for attorneys to discuss openly feelings of burnout and to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health and seeking treatment. Dr. Salmons explained that “recent studies have demonstrated that environmental factors play the largest causal role in burnout.” Thus, it is important for bar associations and law firms to be at the frontlines of prevention and promote mental health by having candid conversations, providing attorney-specific resources, incorporating wellness into the workplace culture, verbalizing their support, and normalizing the attorney experience.

One resource the Austin Bar Association has created is its Lawyer Well-Being Committee. The goal of this committee is to help attorneys manage burnout and participate in activities that give us a mental/emotional break from daily challenges in our jobs.

As a member of this committee, I want to relay that the committee works to provide programming that will help supplement one’s well-being practices, and it welcomes any suggestions on improving such programming. While prevention is key, early detection and rehabilitation (steps two and three of the three-tier approach) are also important. Early detection can start with an organization and its leaders. Dr. Salmons stated that “professional organizations and law firms can be proactive by providing specialized training for their attorneys and leaders to learn how to identify early warning signs and symptoms.” If burnout is suspected, organizations and law firms can provide attorneys with additional resources to facilitate the rehabilitation process, including offering confidential therapy sessions, reducing billable requirements without consequence, providing flexibility to control certain aspects of their job, and encouraging a collegial and collaborative environment that can counterbalance the negative effects of stress.

I recognize that the challenges we face in the legal profession have been exacerbated by the current global pandemic. In addition to stress from work, there have been increased personal stresses for many people, whether it be virtual school for children, dependent care, or social distancing keeping us away from enjoying time with family and friends. As such, now more than ever, we should make health a priority. I certainly have been striving to implement the self-care practices Dr. Salmons recommends. For example, I have worked on setting priorities in both my personal and professional life, and being realistic about the time involved; I have a one-year-old baby, so I have learned to cut myself some slack with everything I am managing at home and at work; and I have made it a daily routine to go for a walk with my family. While it is easy to put these things off until later, I hope that you too will incorporate practices in your life that will make a difference in your well-being!

Dr. Salmons is happy to be a resource should you have any questions. You can email her at ailona@ilonasalmons.com. AL

Theresa Golde practices business law, business litigation, and administrative law. She currently serves as a member of the Austin Bar Association’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee.