How to be a happier lawyer: Strive for excellence/excellent work, not perfection.
If perfection is the outcome, then that's super. But when people drive toward perfection, their focus becomes distorted and over time quality and quantity of work product decreases.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
THIS WEEK: Taming the Jealous Mistress: Career and Life Management for Lawyers Presentation
JALENE HAHN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER AT WARREN WARD ASSOCIATES HAS ASKED ME TO PRESENT TAMING THE JEALOUS MISTRESS: CAREER AND LIFE MANAGEMENT FOR LAWYERS ON WED DEC 9TH AT THE CHAMBER. PROGRAM WILL BE HELD TWICE – AT 9 AM AND REPEATED AT 7 PM.
Hosted by Jalene Hahn, Certified Financial Planner at Warren Ward Associates.
Taming the Jealous MistressSM
Career and Life Management for Lawyers
At the Columbus (Indiana) Area Chamber of Commerce on Wed. Dec. 9th at 9 am and 7 pm. Call 812.350.0306 to register.
TAMING THE JEALOUS MISTRESS SM
CAREER AND LIFE MANAGEMENT FOR LAWYERS
The practice of law is one of the most stressful occupations. Research shows that as many as 65% of lawyers are considering changing firms or professions within the next two years.
Our Taming the Jealous MistressSM program teaches lawyers to understand underlying issues that create career challenges and how to move forward as a happier, healthier person.
Attendees of this presentation will be provided with:
- A checklist of typical underlying causes of career and life challenges for lawyers
- A system to IRAC your career
- Tips for making small improvements that lead to lasting change
- Strategies for bringing about large improvements
DR. LEAH R. JACKMAN-WHEITNER
Career consultant, Leah Jackman-Wheitner, Ph.D., has been consulting and coaching professionals like you for 7 years. In addition to her career consulting experience, she brings to the table all her insights and skills gained from 11 years of providing psychotherapy. Dr. Leah enjoys helping lawyers address their specialized career issues, and no one is better equipped to do so.
Dr. Leah is a published author who holds master's and doctorate degrees in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Indiana. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri at Columbia with a double major in psychology and French, with general honors and honors in psychology. Dr. Leah is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Dr. Leah has given hundreds of speeches and seminars and is available for keynotes, CLE's, and workshops on career issues.
Hosted by Jalene Hahn, Certified Financial Planner at Warren Ward Associates.
Taming the Jealous MistressSM
Career and Life Management for Lawyers
At the Columbus (Indiana) Area Chamber of Commerce on Wed. Dec. 9th at 9 am and 7 pm. Call 812.350.0306 to register.
TAMING THE JEALOUS MISTRESS SM
CAREER AND LIFE MANAGEMENT FOR LAWYERS
The practice of law is one of the most stressful occupations. Research shows that as many as 65% of lawyers are considering changing firms or professions within the next two years.
Our Taming the Jealous MistressSM program teaches lawyers to understand underlying issues that create career challenges and how to move forward as a happier, healthier person.
Attendees of this presentation will be provided with:
- A checklist of typical underlying causes of career and life challenges for lawyers
- A system to IRAC your career
- Tips for making small improvements that lead to lasting change
- Strategies for bringing about large improvements
DR. LEAH R. JACKMAN-WHEITNER
Career consultant, Leah Jackman-Wheitner, Ph.D., has been consulting and coaching professionals like you for 7 years. In addition to her career consulting experience, she brings to the table all her insights and skills gained from 11 years of providing psychotherapy. Dr. Leah enjoys helping lawyers address their specialized career issues, and no one is better equipped to do so.
Dr. Leah is a published author who holds master's and doctorate degrees in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University. She is a licensed psychologist in the state of Indiana. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri at Columbia with a double major in psychology and French, with general honors and honors in psychology. Dr. Leah is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Dr. Leah has given hundreds of speeches and seminars and is available for keynotes, CLE's, and workshops on career issues.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The Right Reasons to Go to Law School
What's your take on this? What do you think are the right reasons to go to law school?
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/11/18/you-and-60000-others-have-taken-the-lsat-now-read-this/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Flaw%2Ffeed+%28WSJ.com%3A+Law+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Good career consulting ought to be able to help you sort this kind of thing out. University academic advisors have an incredibly limited amount of time with students (I know, I used to be one). The decision to become a lawyer ought to be entered into with deep thought and self-analysis not by default. Most people don't know what they're getting into when they apply.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/11/18/you-and-60000-others-have-taken-the-lsat-now-read-this/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Flaw%2Ffeed+%28WSJ.com%3A+Law+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Good career consulting ought to be able to help you sort this kind of thing out. University academic advisors have an incredibly limited amount of time with students (I know, I used to be one). The decision to become a lawyer ought to be entered into with deep thought and self-analysis not by default. Most people don't know what they're getting into when they apply.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
OCD and the Law
1.4-2% of the general population has OCD. 15% of male lawyers and 21% of female lawyers reach the threshhold for OCD.
It makes perfect sense. Perfectionism is critical to effective job performance in the law. A missing comma, a phrase out of place, tiny errors in any other discipline put billions and careers at risk in the law.
The problem is that the discipline nudges people toward pathology. And, it's really hard to be happy with OCD driving your day.
It makes perfect sense. Perfectionism is critical to effective job performance in the law. A missing comma, a phrase out of place, tiny errors in any other discipline put billions and careers at risk in the law.
The problem is that the discipline nudges people toward pathology. And, it's really hard to be happy with OCD driving your day.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
IRAC Your Career
Issue – Lawyers frequently present with a wide variety of issues stemming from an underlying sense of dissatisfaction. They want their lives and careers to be better.
Rule – Career-related happiness and satisfaction, or lack thereof, is a function of the interplay of the following Career Factors:
Personality Style + Behavioral Style + Learning Style + Generational Differences + Learning History + Vocational Identity + Values + Current Situation + Theme/Role
Analysis – Using the services of a trained career consultant psychologist, first, identify and diagram the presenting problems and their hidden, underlying issues by synthesizing the information provided. It is critically important during this step to identify and address not only the known issues, but also the underlying issues that unconsciously cause and perpetuate the known problems. Second, develop, analyze and integrate the various Career Factors noted above to create a plan that addresses all the issues and that will lead to greatly increased happiness and satisfaction.
Conclusion – Walk away with a written Analysis and Proposal setting forth concrete steps personally designed to lead one to their goals.
During the career consultation process, lawyers address the underlying, hidden issues that cause the presenting problems as well as the themes and patterns which perpetuate the presenting problem.
Through this process, lawyers gain confidence, balance their priorities, and achieve their goals.
Rule – Career-related happiness and satisfaction, or lack thereof, is a function of the interplay of the following Career Factors:
Personality Style + Behavioral Style + Learning Style + Generational Differences + Learning History + Vocational Identity + Values + Current Situation + Theme/Role
Analysis – Using the services of a trained career consultant psychologist, first, identify and diagram the presenting problems and their hidden, underlying issues by synthesizing the information provided. It is critically important during this step to identify and address not only the known issues, but also the underlying issues that unconsciously cause and perpetuate the known problems. Second, develop, analyze and integrate the various Career Factors noted above to create a plan that addresses all the issues and that will lead to greatly increased happiness and satisfaction.
Conclusion – Walk away with a written Analysis and Proposal setting forth concrete steps personally designed to lead one to their goals.
During the career consultation process, lawyers address the underlying, hidden issues that cause the presenting problems as well as the themes and patterns which perpetuate the presenting problem.
Through this process, lawyers gain confidence, balance their priorities, and achieve their goals.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The depths of one's being
There's a French phrase "Aller au fond de soi-même" which means "to go to the depths of one's being."
That's what the process of career assessment should be - a dive to the depths of one's being. There are those career assessment tools where you can take a quiz online and get a quick and dirty answer about what you should do with your life.
I've never met a lawyer for whom the quick and dirty answer was sufficient. The process of career change, transition, or enhancement is an in-depth enterprise. There's a defined process to it, but it's in-depth.
When were you last at the depths of your being? If you're frustrated with your career, then it's time to go there again.
That's what the process of career assessment should be - a dive to the depths of one's being. There are those career assessment tools where you can take a quiz online and get a quick and dirty answer about what you should do with your life.
I've never met a lawyer for whom the quick and dirty answer was sufficient. The process of career change, transition, or enhancement is an in-depth enterprise. There's a defined process to it, but it's in-depth.
When were you last at the depths of your being? If you're frustrated with your career, then it's time to go there again.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Why did you choose law?
According to a 1990 ABA survey, 40% of lawyers chose law for the intellectual challenge. This makes sense to me. Good reason for a career choice.
Social service was the next highest cited reason at 17%. Again, very reasonable decision making.
Now for the scary one. 14% chose law because they had no attractive alternative. Clearly not a strong and compelling reason for a profession.
I can only hope that the people who chose it because they saw no attractive alternative have come to find that there is something interesting that ignites their passion over their years of practice.
Social service was the next highest cited reason at 17%. Again, very reasonable decision making.
Now for the scary one. 14% chose law because they had no attractive alternative. Clearly not a strong and compelling reason for a profession.
I can only hope that the people who chose it because they saw no attractive alternative have come to find that there is something interesting that ignites their passion over their years of practice.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Things That Suck About Being a Lawyer: 1. Challenges of Moral Development
You may remember Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory from Psychology 101. Simply stated, our evaluation of the relative good or bad of a situation adjusts over time. Our evaluative process grows as we grow. Children make decisions based on external rules which eventually give way to internalized value structures based on the common good. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg; http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm)
Consider that in light of your work. You push yourself to see all angles of the situation. You push yourself to consider all aspects that might be addressed. Constantly you find yourself representing people whose moral processing and reasoning is somewhere far from yours. Their judgment is often poor. Their reasoning is faulty.
The gap between your clients’ processing and judgment and your own can create a moral disconnect within you. Of course there is a higher good in the process (at least conceptually). Of course everyone deserves good representation. As your own moral processing and development proceeds the gap between you and your clients enlarges. The internal discomfort and disconnect between what you believe in and what you have to do grows. No wonder the mental strain gets to lawyers.
Consider that in light of your work. You push yourself to see all angles of the situation. You push yourself to consider all aspects that might be addressed. Constantly you find yourself representing people whose moral processing and reasoning is somewhere far from yours. Their judgment is often poor. Their reasoning is faulty.
The gap between your clients’ processing and judgment and your own can create a moral disconnect within you. Of course there is a higher good in the process (at least conceptually). Of course everyone deserves good representation. As your own moral processing and development proceeds the gap between you and your clients enlarges. The internal discomfort and disconnect between what you believe in and what you have to do grows. No wonder the mental strain gets to lawyers.
Golden Handcuffs
Golden handcuffs: far too attractive, far too painful. We know how you get into them. The lure of the salary siren song draws you near the billable hours flame.
The real issue is how to loosen or release them.
Steps to release:
1. Risk hoping that you could possibly have less stress.
2. Let someone help you. Ever try to unlock handcuffs while trapped in them? It's a little difficult. Much easier to let someone else help you.
3. Take the first step to addressing the issue - face the fact that your career is causing you pain and decide that you want it to be better now.
4. Email me.
The real issue is how to loosen or release them.
Steps to release:
1. Risk hoping that you could possibly have less stress.
2. Let someone help you. Ever try to unlock handcuffs while trapped in them? It's a little difficult. Much easier to let someone else help you.
3. Take the first step to addressing the issue - face the fact that your career is causing you pain and decide that you want it to be better now.
4. Email me.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
When is the right time to call a career consultant?
When is the right time to call a career consultant?
1. BEFORE you think you need to. Biggest mistake people make is waiting. They think that they're doing fine in the decision making process. Remaining in a problematic job situation is evidence enough that you are too good at ignoring what bothers you. You will not be an adequate judge of when you need help with this.
Listen to the people who care. When they tell you to do something about the problem, you've got to listen because you can't be an accurate reviewer of your own situation.
2. The first time you consider it. OK, let's be honest. You won't do anything the first time you think about it. You're a lawyer. You need time to review, consider, research, research more, ponder, fret, analyze, research more, and worry more. Do something when you're midway through the first round of consideration. Don't drag out the process of making a decision about hiring someone to help you make a decision what to do. Better you should spend your energy figuring out what you want to do.
3. When you realize that you don't have the answers, call. Seriously, this is a given. You don't have the answers. Helping people make career choices isn't your gift in life. If it was, you'd be doing my job instead of reading about it. Even if you had this drive to help people, you still wouldn't be able to do by yourself. No one can.
Should people read a book or talk to their friend who works next door to a lawyer then decide they can write their own wills? No, because they don't know how to consider all aspects. It's the same with your career. My job is to listen to the things you're saying that you don't know you think, believe, or feel. My job is to consider the aspects that you don't even realize play in.
4. If you are part of the layoff scene, call me now. (OK, possibly not right now, because the phone would wake my family. But you can email me now.)
Again, people wait too long. They think their next position will fall into place. They think their choices will fall into place. They think that a good chat with a friend or colleague or family member will miraculously answer the half-asked questions. Your family can't see you objectively. Your colleagues bring their own baggage to the conversation. Your friends have their own agendas. You need someone who can be objective.
You need an objective look quickly, because if you've been laid off the clock is ticking. You probably know how many months of living expenses you have available.
What you don't realize is that you have a limited amount of available psychological resources. The clock is ticking on how you deal with this transition. As you wait your psychological resources dwindle making the decision-making process that much harder.
5. When you know you want to be happier and just don't know how to get there. There are far too many unhappy lawyers. It doesn't have to be that way. You may want to escape the law. You may feel there is no escape. Either way, you can be happier, far happier than you ever considered. Just do something toward that end.
6. When you're willing to take a chance to find a happier future. Enough said.
1. BEFORE you think you need to. Biggest mistake people make is waiting. They think that they're doing fine in the decision making process. Remaining in a problematic job situation is evidence enough that you are too good at ignoring what bothers you. You will not be an adequate judge of when you need help with this.
Listen to the people who care. When they tell you to do something about the problem, you've got to listen because you can't be an accurate reviewer of your own situation.
2. The first time you consider it. OK, let's be honest. You won't do anything the first time you think about it. You're a lawyer. You need time to review, consider, research, research more, ponder, fret, analyze, research more, and worry more. Do something when you're midway through the first round of consideration. Don't drag out the process of making a decision about hiring someone to help you make a decision what to do. Better you should spend your energy figuring out what you want to do.
3. When you realize that you don't have the answers, call. Seriously, this is a given. You don't have the answers. Helping people make career choices isn't your gift in life. If it was, you'd be doing my job instead of reading about it. Even if you had this drive to help people, you still wouldn't be able to do by yourself. No one can.
Should people read a book or talk to their friend who works next door to a lawyer then decide they can write their own wills? No, because they don't know how to consider all aspects. It's the same with your career. My job is to listen to the things you're saying that you don't know you think, believe, or feel. My job is to consider the aspects that you don't even realize play in.
4. If you are part of the layoff scene, call me now. (OK, possibly not right now, because the phone would wake my family. But you can email me now.)
Again, people wait too long. They think their next position will fall into place. They think their choices will fall into place. They think that a good chat with a friend or colleague or family member will miraculously answer the half-asked questions. Your family can't see you objectively. Your colleagues bring their own baggage to the conversation. Your friends have their own agendas. You need someone who can be objective.
You need an objective look quickly, because if you've been laid off the clock is ticking. You probably know how many months of living expenses you have available.
What you don't realize is that you have a limited amount of available psychological resources. The clock is ticking on how you deal with this transition. As you wait your psychological resources dwindle making the decision-making process that much harder.
5. When you know you want to be happier and just don't know how to get there. There are far too many unhappy lawyers. It doesn't have to be that way. You may want to escape the law. You may feel there is no escape. Either way, you can be happier, far happier than you ever considered. Just do something toward that end.
6. When you're willing to take a chance to find a happier future. Enough said.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Advocate
You advocate for your clients to the tune of 2500 or 3000 or even 3500 billable hours a year. You let your life be consumed by briefs, contracts, client hand-holding, preparation for depos and trials. You devote yourself to the cause whether or not you fundamentally believe in its worth.
Tell me, when are you going to take even just an hour to be an advocate for yourself? When are you going to do something about how much you hate aspects of your job or life? When are you going to risk hoping that you can feel better?
When are you going to do what you know would help you feel better - for the long term, not just the quick fix?
Go to my website. Email me there. Take a moment to advocate for yourself, and get on the path out of misery.
Tell me, when are you going to take even just an hour to be an advocate for yourself? When are you going to do something about how much you hate aspects of your job or life? When are you going to risk hoping that you can feel better?
When are you going to do what you know would help you feel better - for the long term, not just the quick fix?
Go to my website. Email me there. Take a moment to advocate for yourself, and get on the path out of misery.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Signs It's Time to Address the Problem
Signs it’s Time to Address the Problem
- You can count the hours of sleep you get each night on one hand
- You have escape fantasies about leaving the law on a daily basis
- You have trouble falling asleep and/or wake early
- You write eloquent descriptions of your despair
- You have to stop to think when asked, “How many nights did you sleep at the office last month?”
- You settle cases you know you shouldn’t, but you can’t stand the anxiety of litigation
- Your chest tenses and jaw tightens at the mere name of one or more colleagues, opposing counsel, or judge
- Your weight fluctuates with your workload and trial dates
- The last time you took time off work you attended a funeral
- You can’t accomplish even simple tasks at times
- Your loved one’s eyes glaze over when you complain about work
- You’ve given up complaining because you don’t think your loved one will ever understand
- You live in fear of being laid off
- You’ve been laid off
- You don't think it will ever get any better
- Door-to-door encyclopedia sales is looking better and better!
My clients change patterns in their lives just like these. Drop me an email. Let's schedule time to see how I can help you.
- You can count the hours of sleep you get each night on one hand
- You have escape fantasies about leaving the law on a daily basis
- You have trouble falling asleep and/or wake early
- You write eloquent descriptions of your despair
- You have to stop to think when asked, “How many nights did you sleep at the office last month?”
- You settle cases you know you shouldn’t, but you can’t stand the anxiety of litigation
- Your chest tenses and jaw tightens at the mere name of one or more colleagues, opposing counsel, or judge
- Your weight fluctuates with your workload and trial dates
- The last time you took time off work you attended a funeral
- You can’t accomplish even simple tasks at times
- Your loved one’s eyes glaze over when you complain about work
- You’ve given up complaining because you don’t think your loved one will ever understand
- You live in fear of being laid off
- You’ve been laid off
- You don't think it will ever get any better
- Door-to-door encyclopedia sales is looking better and better!
My clients change patterns in their lives just like these. Drop me an email. Let's schedule time to see how I can help you.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
No wonder lawyers don't feel like they understand themselves.
I was just hit by a BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious.)
I was just watching the trailer for the documentary, The Trials of Law School. The prof expounded on how they tear down 1L’s, how they’re never the same, and how they learn to think like lawyers. Every lawyer has heard that. No big surprise.
That’s when the BFO struck me. No wonder lawyers feel like they don’t understand themselves. Lawyers are one human being up until entering law school. They walk in as one human being to undertake this program of study and walk out three years later as a vastly different human being.
No wonder lawyers need help understanding themselves. The very fact of who they are as human beings has changed through the course of study.
I was just watching the trailer for the documentary, The Trials of Law School. The prof expounded on how they tear down 1L’s, how they’re never the same, and how they learn to think like lawyers. Every lawyer has heard that. No big surprise.
That’s when the BFO struck me. No wonder lawyers feel like they don’t understand themselves. Lawyers are one human being up until entering law school. They walk in as one human being to undertake this program of study and walk out three years later as a vastly different human being.
No wonder lawyers need help understanding themselves. The very fact of who they are as human beings has changed through the course of study.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Perspective Shifts
My dad was born in Chillicothe, Ohio - home of a papermill and its requisite scent. Until I was 10, I had a great-grandparent living there. I hated visiting.
That great-grandma was not a particularly kind human being. There were few redeeming factors in the experience. I do have a beautiful dresser from that house. Other than the dresser, all my childhood memories of the town are rather negative because of the great-grandma there.
Fast forward to 2003. After my grandmother's death, we spent time in Chillicothe on our way to smaller towns to bury ashes.
Chillicothe had become a really nice little town. Old buildings. The railroad station where my great-grandfather worked for the B&O. The house where my father was born. The hill where my great-grandfather let my dad drive a deuce and a half truck when he was 7.
Somehow the smell of the papermill was so much less. Probably my perspective changing...
That was a good day. The proverbial walk down memory lane - but it wasn't really memory lane. It was a creation of memory. Revamped memories to reflect what was there all along that I was too young to see - history, architecture, hills, connection of past to present.
Same reality. Same hills. Same town.
Entirely different experience for me.
That's how everything is. Our perspective creates the experience.
That great-grandma was not a particularly kind human being. There were few redeeming factors in the experience. I do have a beautiful dresser from that house. Other than the dresser, all my childhood memories of the town are rather negative because of the great-grandma there.
Fast forward to 2003. After my grandmother's death, we spent time in Chillicothe on our way to smaller towns to bury ashes.
Chillicothe had become a really nice little town. Old buildings. The railroad station where my great-grandfather worked for the B&O. The house where my father was born. The hill where my great-grandfather let my dad drive a deuce and a half truck when he was 7.
Somehow the smell of the papermill was so much less. Probably my perspective changing...
That was a good day. The proverbial walk down memory lane - but it wasn't really memory lane. It was a creation of memory. Revamped memories to reflect what was there all along that I was too young to see - history, architecture, hills, connection of past to present.
Same reality. Same hills. Same town.
Entirely different experience for me.
That's how everything is. Our perspective creates the experience.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Billable Hours
It's not the billable hours that cause lawyers stress. Not technically.
Yes, billable requirements are absolutely insane. Yes, they are a primary source of stress in a lawyer's life.
The real issue, however, is underneath the number. It's not the number that's required. It's what that number means to you.
Billables and the associated stress means something different to each person. For one person, billables mean that they've lost control of their lives. For another, billables represent loss of family time. For the next, the problem is that billables represent an overwhelmingly negative view of the future.
To get control of your life, you have to understand the underlying issue. And that underlying issue is individual to each person.
Yes, billable requirements are absolutely insane. Yes, they are a primary source of stress in a lawyer's life.
The real issue, however, is underneath the number. It's not the number that's required. It's what that number means to you.
Billables and the associated stress means something different to each person. For one person, billables mean that they've lost control of their lives. For another, billables represent loss of family time. For the next, the problem is that billables represent an overwhelmingly negative view of the future.
To get control of your life, you have to understand the underlying issue. And that underlying issue is individual to each person.
Monday, July 13, 2009
"Burnout plagues immigration judges"
Pamela Starr (www.starrparalegals.com) sent me a link to an article in www.dailyreportonline.com The article addressed the job burnout and secondary traumatic stress affecting immigration judges.
This is the kind of thing that I pay attention to - the traumatic effects of professional life. On a large and small scale this happens to folks all the time. Lawyers, physicians, etc. The public thinks that you have it made. But there are these internal traumas and stressors that make life very difficult. So that hard as*ed lawyers tell me the stories about how they shut the door and cry after listening to painful stories. That's not the image that the public has of the law. Maybe that doesn't need to be the reality that the public knows. But it has to be one that lawyers can talk about somewhere, with someone.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Burnout plagues immigration judges
New study says difficulty of handling asylum cases pushes judges to the edge and may affect their rulings
Immigration judges, who day in and day out listen to horrific personal stories of asylum seekers, suffer from significant job burnout and secondary traumatic stress, which may affect their rulings, according to a recent study.
After analyzing data from 96 immigration judges who participated in the study, researchers from the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at th....
To read the entire article click here. Please note: This link will remain active for seven days from today's date.
This is the kind of thing that I pay attention to - the traumatic effects of professional life. On a large and small scale this happens to folks all the time. Lawyers, physicians, etc. The public thinks that you have it made. But there are these internal traumas and stressors that make life very difficult. So that hard as*ed lawyers tell me the stories about how they shut the door and cry after listening to painful stories. That's not the image that the public has of the law. Maybe that doesn't need to be the reality that the public knows. But it has to be one that lawyers can talk about somewhere, with someone.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Burnout plagues immigration judges
New study says difficulty of handling asylum cases pushes judges to the edge and may affect their rulings
Immigration judges, who day in and day out listen to horrific personal stories of asylum seekers, suffer from significant job burnout and secondary traumatic stress, which may affect their rulings, according to a recent study.
After analyzing data from 96 immigration judges who participated in the study, researchers from the Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute at th....
To read the entire article click here. Please note: This link will remain active for seven days from today's date.
Lawyers: Have a Soul vs. Soulless - vote below
Lawyers – Have a Soul vs. Soulless – vote below. I just posted this poll on my facebook page. I'll be curious if it sparks discussion.
My contention is that lawyers are fundamentally good people.
When I got my first root canal, the dentist said that 94% of root canals go just fine, but the 6% of people who have difficulty are so vocal about it that the public thinks that root canals are horrific.
I wonder if it’s the same with lawyers. Perhaps the percentages need adjusted some.
What if that’s true? What if some small percentage of lawyers were the ones giving the whole profession a bad name?
Would it change the way you go through life? Would it change the way you look at each other to realize that the person at the other table has the same crap to deal with on a daily basis as you do? Maybe their life is just as challenging and they’re fundamentally a nice person who got stuck in the middle of a bad case…
Just musing…
My contention is that lawyers are fundamentally good people.
When I got my first root canal, the dentist said that 94% of root canals go just fine, but the 6% of people who have difficulty are so vocal about it that the public thinks that root canals are horrific.
I wonder if it’s the same with lawyers. Perhaps the percentages need adjusted some.
What if that’s true? What if some small percentage of lawyers were the ones giving the whole profession a bad name?
Would it change the way you go through life? Would it change the way you look at each other to realize that the person at the other table has the same crap to deal with on a daily basis as you do? Maybe their life is just as challenging and they’re fundamentally a nice person who got stuck in the middle of a bad case…
Just musing…
"If only"
If we only wanted to be happy, it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, and that is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are. ~ Charles de Montesquieu
People aren’t as happy as you think they are. We presume that life will be better “if only.” “If only” never arrives. Happiness is not created when some magical thing happens. Happiness is created in this moment.
There are certainly times when happiness eludes, when the stresses of the day supersede the little joys. Those are the times when you have to be more diligent about looking for what’s right. The times when most of your life and work is a stress are the times you must take extra care to enjoy the small things.
Finding a split second of peace and happiness in the small things – the birds singing when you wake up, the sunset, the rain gently falling, the smile from a stranger, the fact that you finished this piece of paperwork 6 minutes earlier than you anticipated – is critical. Sometimes the split second of joy is all you get.
People aren’t as happy as you think they are. We presume that life will be better “if only.” “If only” never arrives. Happiness is not created when some magical thing happens. Happiness is created in this moment.
There are certainly times when happiness eludes, when the stresses of the day supersede the little joys. Those are the times when you have to be more diligent about looking for what’s right. The times when most of your life and work is a stress are the times you must take extra care to enjoy the small things.
Finding a split second of peace and happiness in the small things – the birds singing when you wake up, the sunset, the rain gently falling, the smile from a stranger, the fact that you finished this piece of paperwork 6 minutes earlier than you anticipated – is critical. Sometimes the split second of joy is all you get.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
You're Not Always Right
You weren’t born a lawyer. Your parents may say you were born argumentative, but you weren’t born a lawyer. At some point in childhood, you knew that you weren’t always right.
Then you grew up. Somewhere along the way you decided you were always right. Perhaps before law school. Perhaps during. Now you probably think you’re always right.
How many times has someone told you in an argument that you’re not always right? Spouses, partners, significant others. Do they get irritated and say You think you’re always right?
The very things that help you succeed so well at your job - your drive to succeed, your drive to be correct, and your certainty in your arguments - create major issues in relationships.
If you’re successful at your job, you may be alienating the people around you.
Lawyers have to learn to turn off their drive at home and with friends. It really is ok if you give your loved ones space to think their own thoughts. You don’t have to convince them of the Truth.
Remember that you will unconsciously drive to convince and persuade. Trust your loved ones when they say you’re being too intense with your opinions. You may think you’ve left that approach at the office, but you haven’t. You can’t.
Life will be a continual process of letting go and relaxing.
Then you grew up. Somewhere along the way you decided you were always right. Perhaps before law school. Perhaps during. Now you probably think you’re always right.
How many times has someone told you in an argument that you’re not always right? Spouses, partners, significant others. Do they get irritated and say You think you’re always right?
The very things that help you succeed so well at your job - your drive to succeed, your drive to be correct, and your certainty in your arguments - create major issues in relationships.
If you’re successful at your job, you may be alienating the people around you.
Lawyers have to learn to turn off their drive at home and with friends. It really is ok if you give your loved ones space to think their own thoughts. You don’t have to convince them of the Truth.
Remember that you will unconsciously drive to convince and persuade. Trust your loved ones when they say you’re being too intense with your opinions. You may think you’ve left that approach at the office, but you haven’t. You can’t.
Life will be a continual process of letting go and relaxing.
People Don't Understand You
People don’t understand you. The process of looking for what’s missing and the training that went into getting you that skill makes you different from most people. The non-law people you hang out with won’t really understand that.
When you get weird looks from people and they seem not to follow you, realize it’s because they were trained in an entirely different discipline.
Your discipline is vastly different from the rest of the world. The content is obviously very specific, but the process of thought differentiates you and changes your approach to life.
Cut the people around you some slack. Be patient. There’s nothing wrong with the way they think. They were just trained differently than you.
When you get weird looks from people and they seem not to follow you, realize it’s because they were trained in an entirely different discipline.
Your discipline is vastly different from the rest of the world. The content is obviously very specific, but the process of thought differentiates you and changes your approach to life.
Cut the people around you some slack. Be patient. There’s nothing wrong with the way they think. They were just trained differently than you.
Seeing What Doesn't Exist
Our brains are oriented to see what exists, not to look for what isn’t there.It's easy to look at the argument that has been presented. The process of looking for what isn't being seen is inherently stressful. It's harder to look for the path or the angle that doesn't yet exist. It tires out your brain, even if the excitement of the challenge drives you.
Big Picture or Detail Oriented
People either think in big picture or details. Not both simultaneously.
Part of the stress is the pressure to simultaneously see the big picture and details. We know that people tend to be detail oriented or big picture oriented. It’s impossible to do both simultaneously. Realize that you have to flip mental roles back and forth through the day. No one else does those two processes equally well either. You have one you do primarily. The other is a secondary back up. Do your preferred process; then flip to the other.
Part of the stress is the pressure to simultaneously see the big picture and details. We know that people tend to be detail oriented or big picture oriented. It’s impossible to do both simultaneously. Realize that you have to flip mental roles back and forth through the day. No one else does those two processes equally well either. You have one you do primarily. The other is a secondary back up. Do your preferred process; then flip to the other.
You may feel alone, but you aren't
Lawyers have a tendency to feel isolated. The nature of the work is isolating itself. Moreover, the need to look like you have it all together creates a sense of being alienated. No one’s life is perfect. When you spend your days trying to appear as if you have it all together when you don’t, you end up alienated from yourself and the people around you.
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