Lawyer balance: Staying focused on health and well-being

Independent lawyers, we have a unique opportunity to change the paradigm of law firm culture. As we model what it means to achieve healthy lawyer balance, we can slowly make an impact on the lawyer burnout trend.

What is lawyer balance?

We can frame it as work-life balance, but lawyers often experience additional layers of challenges with that goal. Especially for lawyers in traditional law firm settings, long hours and proving loyalty and value have been the norm for years. It takes grit to go against a prevailing law firm culture of overwork.

Lawyers who operate independent law practices have more flexibility in how they structure their schedules. However, even independent lawyers can struggle with when to clock out of work.

In our experience, balance means setting specific core values and then creating a law firm culture that aligns with those values. Some core values that might resonate for you include:

  • Delivering high-quality client service
  • Making an impact
  • Personal and professional integrity
  • Excellence and continued learning
  • Respect
  • People-centered goals
  • Innovation
  • Collaboration

As you consider your own core values, think about what matters most to you and to your clients. This site offers a long list of values in a variety of categories that might help spark deeper thinking as you work to create your firm’s values.

Seeking something more

As an entrepreneurial lawyer, you likely had some lofty goals that led you to launch a small law firm. Maybe you wanted to become the market leader in your practice area or maybe you wanted to counsel a niche client base.

Whatever your goals, you likely have a drive to experience and to create something “more” in your career.

In our research for this blog, we found one law firm that lists “enjoyment of work” as a core value. Another framed it as “We choose to be happy.” These stand out for us because most law firms tend to choose more academic, buttoned-up phrases – but why shouldn’t lawyers enjoy their work and life? In fact, isn’t that a most basic human need?

So, what is your something more? As we near the end of the year, allow that question to simmer and guide your thinking before you launch into 2023.

Minimizing holiday and end-of-year stress

As you reflect on the core personal and firm values that will guide your decision-making next year, also remember to take breaks and slow down. As tempting as it might be to hustle and close out the year with a financial bang, that hustle can lead to overwork and burnout.

It’s such a common issue that the American Bar Association developed an entire series of events to address holiday stress in November and December of this year. Its upcoming Dec. 13 event, “Perfect as the Enemy of Good: Strategies for Combatting Perfectionism & The Fear of Mistakes” highlights:

“The ‘culture of perfectionism’ in the legal profession has encouraged maladaptive coping techniques and led younger lawyers to conceal mistakes, often times to the firm and the clients’ detriment. This program will explain the phenomenon of perfectionism and provide readily applicable tools to manage its negative impact.”

As you seek your “something more,” remember to take care of yourself along the way. If you work yourself into burnout, you won’t be able to fully enjoy the fruits of your labor anyway.

So, why not take this season of gratitude and reflection as an opportunity to simply enjoy how far you have come?

At LawBank, we encourage the health and well-being of independent lawyers by creating lawyer-only communities. At our Denver and Las Vegas locations, lawyers find flexible and affordable office options, a built-in network of support and resources for building a sustainable and thriving law practice. Learn more.