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Remote working
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OVID-19 is bringing a host of different challenges to junior law professionals, both in terms of their work and their mental well-being. Particularly as a trainee or newly qualified solicitor, working at home feels alien. A lot of junior lawyers live in a shared flats, which can add further pressure to the working day, particularly if you have 4 people sharing the already weak Wi-Fi.
updates on legal issues, perhaps with regard to remote hearings or the law surrounding pandemics or unexpected events. This is a great way for junior people to use their skills to help to support their department, if they have the capacity to do so. Junior lawyers also shouldn’t be afraid to keep up regular contact with those supervising them, which is fortunately easy over the telephone and also over video, via Zoom or Skype.
A common issue amongst fellow junior lawyers is that they are expected to learn from colleagues, particularly senior colleagues, at work. We absorb knowledge, experience and skills from working with these colleagues in an office environment.
Another common issue amongst fellow junior lawyers is that it they miss their friendships and the camaraderie of the office and feel isolated working from home. There are plenty of ways to keep connected with others in your team. Great ideas are organising quiz nights for the team, perhaps on Friday evening, as well as having regular team meetings. Even meeting up for a coffee break with a colleague over Zoom can help to make you feel more connected to your work-place.
Most firms arrange for trainees and junior lawyers to sit with or in proximity to more senior people and there is a good reason for that: there needs to be direct interaction between individuals for the training process to work at its best. That is not to say that remote working makes such interaction not possible, but it certainly makes it more difficult. Picture a trainee solicitor, new to a department, who is asked to work from home after only one week in his or her department or team. They might be glad to have interesting work to do, and might have regular communication with several lawyers with whom they are working. They are, however, already at a big disadvantage from not knowing the individuals within the team, not having had an opportunity to chat to them in the kitchen, or to be asked to attend meetings with the people they are working with (perhaps at the last minute). There are many examples which make it clear that this is very far from an ideal scenario. There is a big difference between the trainee and/or the newly qualified solicitor, and the junior lawyer who has been with the team for a little while. The latter already has the rapport with his or her peers. The former is at a significant disadvantage in that they are trying to make a good impression from a distance, despite the virtual meetings. So, what can we do about it? It is the responsibility of everyone in the team to ensure that the junior lawyers feel properly integrated, including the other fellow junior lawyers in the team. Anecdotally, the sort of things that can really help to keep junior lawyers integrated are the following: regular team meetings within a department, talks or training/ team-building sessions and offers for or from junior people to provide, for example,
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It can also be more difficult to wind down after working at home. When working in a high pressure job, it is natural to want to unwind by, for example, going to meet friends, which we are currently unable to do. Developing a routine, eating healthily and taking regular exercise can really help with this. Although it is easy to carry on working past the time you normally would if you were at work when working from home, doing this can affect your sleep pattern and your energy and attention span the following day. If you are feeling nervous about COVID-19, you are not alone. There are people and organisations available to talk to. If you feel as though you need some emotional support, you can contact charities such as Mind, Samaritans or SBA, Solicitors’ Charity (please see their advert in this edition). For further information on how the Junior Lawyers’ Division are supporting junior solicitors during the COVID-19 outbreak, please see our website. ■
Olivia Longrigg Solicitor Dawson Cornwell
