As published in The Daily Report

Now that schools are back in session, with children sporting sharpened pencils, new backpacks and clean notebooks, this is a good time to assess whether your locker is armed with the tools you need to manage your practice and career.

We have stressful jobs, with tight deadlines and demands, but we can minimize the external challenges to the practice of law by maintaining awareness of how to manage such issues.

Teammates

Any single day may require you to manage deadlines, meet client needs and take on the administrative responsibilities inherent in running a practice. Too many attorneys try to do everything themselves, from maintaining their own calendar of deadlines to drafting every pleading for a matter. When there are multiple active matters at once, attorneys run the risk of making a mistake just based on the sheer volume of information they have to navigate.

While it can be some difficult for some, it can be helpful to focus on the tools that are available to help support your practice, namely, the use of other members of their team or employees of their firm. Delegating work to others—including more junior attorneys, paralegals or staff—can help ensure that the ball moves forward without your being spread too thin.

Delegating work to others does not always mean that you have no more tasks on your plate. Rather, delegation typically involves the delegating attorney supervising and training others. But having more people aware of a deadline or a strategy significantly reduces the pressure on you to navigate all paths and decreases the likelihood that a deadline will be missed or a task completely overlooked. In addition to helping reduce the attorney’s workload, delegating work and supervising others also helps ensure that more junior attorneys get the exposure and experience necessary to building a practice in the long term. It also can build loyalty and camaraderie on a team.

Many successful attorneys use systems within their practice to create a net so nothing falls through the cracks. When handled in cooperation with the duty to supervise nonlawyers and more junior attorneys—and to create an environment in which a team understands the need for ethical compliance—embracing delegation can help you face and manage the challenges of their caseload.

Take Stock of Mental Health

Practicing law is stressful, but if the level of stress is negatively impacting your life outside of work—or even making work itself unbearable—we recommend checking in on whether any changes should be made. Some of the things that make the practice of law more accessible in some respects, such as the prevalence of real-time communications on mobile devices, can also add to your overall stress. The ABA reports that mental health issues are prevalent among members of the bar, particularly among younger members. Many of these issues relate to stress disorders.

Left unchecked, excessive stress can lead to efforts to self-medicate, which can create a host of other issues that plague attorneys.

This is not just an issue of self-identifying issues. Attorneys can also take steps to check in with their colleagues who seem to be struggling with stress, anxiety, mental health or substance issues. Sometimes it may be that a person needs initial help and support before accepting other types of help.

In recognition of this issue, many firms are employing programs or dedicating resources toward attorney and staff wellness. From providing advice on time management to detailing mental health resources available through the employer’s insurance, such a focus can provide an immediate benefit to individuals and add to the supportive climate of the workplace. Indeed, a workplace that acknowledges that stress disorders are prevalent among practicing attorneys may be likely to also be one in which employees do not feel stigmatized for seeking help. 

Audit Technology

Just as a student may take stock of her laptop, calculator or printer to make sure it is up to the task of the coming school year, many firms also take stock of their systems with some regularity. Firms may audit their systems for processing time entry, storing documents, enabling document review or docketing to ensure that those systems are efficient and effective.

Even if a firm program or process seems to be working well, the firm may still choose to explore the market to see what else is available. For example, if the firm has been using a single docketing system for years, it can be helpful to review what updates are on the market or if there are other tools the firm could adopt to help its attorneys face challenging issues with the best tools available. Sometimes by waiting until the system is broken or obsolete to look to see what else is available can create more headaches and cost more money down the road.