Independent practice can support greater lawyer satisfaction

People expect more from their jobs than in the past. Independent law practice offers lawyers the autonomy to create their vision, and lawyer satisfaction should encompass both career and life.

Looking at lawyer burnout

Burnout begins with stress, but evolves into a state of chronic fatigue, overwhelm and even a feeling of hopelessness.

Experts have followed the lawyer burnout trend for years, but levels of burnout seem poised to increase even more in the wake of the pandemic. According to the ABA Journal, demand for legal services increased 6.6 percent over the past year, but lawyer headcount increased only 0.7 percent. In addition, lawyer productivity jumped 6.1 percent.

That translates into fewer lawyers doing more work and working longer hours. That’s a perfect recipe for burnout.

A Bloomberg Law survey showed that lawyers are billing only about 50 percent of the total hours worked. Survey respondents worked an average of 53 hours per week, but billed far less than that total. One-fifth of those lawyers worked more than 100 hours per week and billed 80 hours or less.

What goes into lawyer satisfaction

Satisfaction represents the flip side of the burnout coin. Somewhat surprisingly, 59 percent of the lawyers surveyed by Bloomberg rated their career satisfaction as 7 or higher on a 10-point scale. Bloomberg noted that the lawyers most satisfied with their careers:

  • Did not identify as currently experiencing burnout
  • Had more years in practice (8+ years)
  • Worked as in-house counsel rather than in a law firm setting

The lawyers with a 7+ satisfaction rating reported a much lower incidence of depression than those with a 0-6 rating (19 percent vs. 41 percent – see slide 24 in the link above). They also had lower levels of sleep disruption, personal relationship challenges, physical health issues and substance abuse.

While the report does not explore the specifics of how length of experience and work setting impact satisfaction levels, the data uncovers some interesting reference points. I suspect that in-house lawyers have more focused, streamlined work, for example. They also likely follow the corporate culture of their organizations and stick to a more traditional work schedule. Those with more experience often take on leadership roles, which may create a better workload balance and a stronger sense of purpose or autonomy.

Autonomy and culture in an independent firm

Speaking of autonomy, this Reuters report cites “lack of autonomy” as the first of six contributing factors that lead to lawyer burnout. The complete list includes:

  • Lack of autonomy
  • High workload and work pressure
  • Lack of leader or colleague support
  • Unfairness
  • Values disconnect
  • Lack of recognition

Many of the independent lawyers among our membership started their own law firms in order to have more control over each of these areas of their work lives. In addition, creating balance in these areas at work also supports a more balanced personal life.

As an independent lawyer with a solo or small law practice, you have control over the culture you create. If you want to avoid burnout, for yourself or your staff, then work that into your culture.

Increasing satisfaction

Attorney at Law magazine offers some tips for lawyers trying to avoid burnout and increase satisfaction, including:

  • Build a network of support
  • Prioritize physical health
  • Schedule break times
  • Create a separate and distinct work space
  • Set working hours and stick to them
  • Establish boundaries at work
  • Seek out mental health support, including therapy

We have seen how each of these areas contributes to the health and well-being of our LawBank members. They have built their independent law practices with work-life balance and career satisfaction in mind.

In addition, they choose to run their businesses in our shared office environments, which contributes to their social and professional connectedness. That built-in network provides both business support and a social outlet, which helps create a deeper sense of satisfaction. They also model healthy habits for each other, including sticking to shorter work hours and clocking out on time.

Working grueling hours and underbilling for your time sets you up for lawyer burnout, but creating a culture of work-life balance allows you to recharge and refresh. Making time for your personal health, wellness and fun, allows you to return the office with a clear head. Creating balance and avoiding burnout will help you do better work and feel more satisfied with what you have created.

Ready to leave Big Law or wanting to expand your law firm in a community of likeminded professionals? Reach out to us to learn how a shared office space for lawyers can support your vision.