Lawyers are generally competitive and ready to push themselves and stretch themselves to succeed for their clients, but that often takes a toll on their clients’ mental health.
For Jordana Confino, a former federal court clerk and current adjunct professor of law at Fordham University, success means “putting 150% into your job to the exclusion of basically everything else” and always putting in “the most.” It means to be the most diligent and most productive person. Inside the room. ”
That approach eventually stopped working, and Confino hit “a real breaking point in every sense of the word,” Confino said in an Oct. 22 Axiom webinar titled “Positive Psychology for Improving Well-Being, Resilience, and Performance.” He talked about the use of
Many lawyers believe that success is a matter of happiness brought about by milestones such as a job offer, winning an important case, or a certain income level. But whatever goals lawyers pursue, whether it’s money, prestige or promotion, Confino says, “achieving external goals will never lead to inner satisfaction and fulfillment.”
Confino explains that career competition typically goes something like this: Work harder, earn more money, buy more stuff, and repeat. This cycle can leave lawyers feeling overworked, mentally and emotionally exhausted, burnt out at work, depressed, and resorting to dangerous coping mechanisms.
To address the mental health issues many lawyers experience, securities attorney Jonathan Boehm launched Avenir Guild, an online platform that connects legal professionals with resources.
Boehm, a private practitioner in New England, created the portal to coincide with the World Health Organization’s annual “Mental Health Day” on October 10, and announced its debut this month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness also hosts an annual health awareness week. October screening campaign.
Avenir Guild says the portal is aimed at corporate and government in-house lawyers, law students, lawyers in private practices, affinity groups, bar associations and other legal organizations, and is tailored to suit different career stages. It is said that there is
The firm says its services include career counseling, business development support, life coaching, mentorship and “other resources to improve your skills, expand your network and promote well-being in the legal profession.” . Avenir operates as a monthly subscription and will soon begin offering paid coaching.
“In over 40 years of practice, I have seen the legal profession move away from a collaborative model that serves all constituencies, including clients, to the point where clients become prey and paid lawyers burn out. “We have seen the dynamics of eating transform, and the partnership is a shadow of its former promise,” Baum said in a statement to Legal Dive.
Boehm said he felt there was a “pervasive atmosphere of anxiety.” In short, it’s time to ask whether current law firm business models serve their members, lawyers, and clients alike. ”
Confino advocates for clients to follow the “Perma+V” model for mental health and well-being.
positive emotion regulation engagement relationships meaning achievement vitality
Controlling positive emotions can be difficult because people focus on risks and potential negative outcomes rather than on the positive, but this is a concept that was introduced in early human times as “keeping us alive.” Confino said it was a brain response that helped. But today, she says, this negativity bias simply “causes us unnecessary stress and prevents us from harnessing positive emotions.”
Confino said one “very simple strategy” for nurturing relationships, both personal and professional, is to embrace vulnerability and be open to others. “I know that vulnerability is basically a dirty word in the legal world,” she added.
Another area that can harm mental health is that many people, especially lawyers who take on tough cases, berate themselves intensely for mistakes and other failings, Confino said. . Taking a “softer approach” in the way you think and deal with yourself will yield better results.
“Replace your inner critical comment with something you can suggest to your colleagues,” says Confino.
When it comes to the meaning of work, many lawyers never consider whether their personal values align with those of their practice, firm, or employer. “So many people have gotten this far in their careers without ever stopping to think about what their values are,” she says.
