Posts Tagged ‘balance’
4 Signs You Need a Private Office
Working from home sounds great. You can do your work, get some chores done, cook dinner, keep your dog entertained, the list of possibilities is endless.
Eventually lines can get blurred. Work takes the back seat to all of the other distractions you have in your home. Meetings seem impossible and the only daily interaction you have is with your pets. It can go from this great option to a really difficult one pretty quickly.
Here are 4 signs that you need to get back into a private office.
You Are Getting Easily Distracted at Home
Being able to work from home sounds like the best of both worlds. Unless you are easily distracted. You have the option to fold laundry, watch a show or make snacks. Before you know it you have no time left in your day for your work. Your productivity is at an all time low. If this sounds like you, a shared workspace with a private office could be an amazing option.
You Crave Human Interaction
Working from home can get lonely. The office banter, collaborating on ideas or just a simple “hello” in the lunchroom means more than you originally thought. Sure some people can get on your nerves but in the grand scheme of things, being around like minded individuals helps elevate your mood and productivity. Joining a shared workspace will create a community of passionate,career driven people in similar careers.
You Need A Professional Image
Meeting potential clients at home or in a coffee shop doesn’t feel like a professional option. Having a space dedicated to your business with a professional business address, private office space, waiting areas and boardrooms can really boost your image.
You Need A Better Work/Life Balance
This goes hand and hand with distractions. Some people find themselves doing too much housework while working from home. Others find themselves working non-stop. Both of these things can create a stressful environment. Home doesn’t feel like home anymore, or work seems pointless. Being able to get out of the house and go to the office gives you a sense of structure. The benefit of renting your own space is that you don’t need to do a strict 9-5. You can go to your office part time and choose your own hours.
Working from home sounds easy. Roll out of bed, put on your slippers and hop on the couch with your laptop and cases to review. But, it’s not always all what it’s cracked up to be.
At Wolf Law Chambers we are here to help you with your work/life balance, professional image and human interaction. We offer one-day offices, conference rooms, and executive offices that are fully serviced. It is the perfect place for individuals or small firms that need a space and are on a tight budget. We have offices in Downtown Toronto, Oakville, and Mississauga.
Wolf Law Chambers Private Offices will help you to save time, money, and effort, so you can focus on winning cases and growing your business. Our team will provide you with a wide range of services, making us the right choice for your office needs.
Visit our website www.wolflawchambers.com for more information about our spaces.
Shared Workspaces and How They Benefit Mental Health
Mental health is an important issue. One that should be taken quite seriously when it comes to
working and your work environment.
Due to COVID-19 working from home became very common. Even now in our post-COVID
society, many employers have their employees work remotely. While it has proved to boost
productivity, time management, and work/life balance for some. For others working remotely
has taken a toll on both their productivity and their mental health.
Shared workspaces spaces such as Wolf Law Chambers offer a great solution for
lawyers, paralegals and mediators companies that may find it hard to make connections and interactions due to the isolation of working remotely.
Using facilities such as ours can prevent loneliness. Working in isolation all day, every day can be draining. While working in a shared space you may not be part of the same company/team,
but you are able to have friendly interaction with a people in the common areas. This can bring joy to your day and reduce stress.
Stress and anxiety naturally occur when you are lonely. Going hours on end without speaking to
another person, overworking yourself, or stressing about deadlines can really get to you. In a
shared workspace environment you have the chance to interact, and you can even
run ideas or worries by like-minded individuals in similar fields. This creates a sense of
community that will ease your mind.
While working from home is good for some employees’ work/life balance. Others find it
increasingly hard to split time between the two. In some cases working from home means you
are either unproductive due to the distracting things around you or you overwork yourself due to
the fact that you are only 10 feet away from your desk at all times. Being able to “clock in and
clock out” can help some employees that feel as though their home is no longer their home, but
a stressful work environment. Working in an office can also provide peace and quiet with limited
distractions that one may need in order to complete their work.
A shared workspace where individuals can interact with each other, share
their ideas, and communicate their stresses will help improve their mental health. These
employees will feel more willing to come to work, they will take fewer sick days, as well as be
able to create friendships where they can bounce ideas around. The problems that they may
have faced while working alone will be easier to handle when they are around others. Shared
workspaces like Wolf Law Chambers can be a great solution, that give multiple benefits to someone’s mental health.
Wolf Law Chambers offers one-day offices, conference rooms, and executive offices that are
fully serviced. It is the perfect place for individuals or small firms that need a space and are on a tight budget. We have offices in Downtown Toronto, Oakville, and Mississauga. Visit our
website www.wolflawchambers.com for more information about our spaces.
Wolf Law Chambers Private Offices will help you to save time, money, and effort, so you can
focus on winning cases and growing your business. Our team will provide you with a wide range
of services, making us the right choice for your office needs.
The Best Gifts for Law Students
Law students are often important contributors to a lawyer’s overall success and the success of his or her practice. Law students are busy, constantly moving and often a little stressed because of the countless hours they put into the work that is fundamental to the services the lawyer provides.
This year, you may be thinking of giving a dedicated hard working law student in your firm a gift showing your gratitude. The perfect gift will be something that can help ease their stress or help them in their future career.
To make your holiday shopping a little bit easier, we have created a small list that contains useful gadgets and stress relievers.
- Meal Kits
In a world where you feel like you work 24/7, having the time to come up with and cook a good meal can be hard. Nowadays we have amazing meal kits such as Chefs Plate, HelloFresh and Goodfood. This will make home cooking faster and more convenient for the busy law student in your life. They can say goodbye to late night McDonalds runs and hello to a nutritious and comforting meal.
You are able to purchase gifts cards online and in local stores such as Walmart or Shoppers Drug Mart.
- Temperature Controlled Mugs and Coasters
Long days and longer nights have one major thing in common. Cold coffee. Let’s face it things are busy enough on an average day let alone if you have a mountain of cases to sift through. Temperature controlled mugs and coasters will make sure they get the perfect, hot sip everytime.
- Salt Therapy and Self Massagers
Self care and stress release are important for students’ mental and physical health. With the limited amount of time they have in a day, known stress relievers can be hard to make time for. There are two easily accessible stress relievers that make for great gifts. For mental health a simple salt lamp can bring a calm and relaxing aura to any room. For physical health a hand held massager can work wonders on the built up knots from working at a desk all day.
- Noise Canceling Headphones
Focusing can be hard, especially in a communal living situation. Roommates try their best to be quiet while everyones studying but a simple clink of a pan or a TV that is a bit too loud can be really distracting. Noise canceling headphones are perfect for the law student in your life that just can’t catch a break when it comes to distractions.
- A Briefcase
A monumental gift for every law student is their first real leather briefcase. These are both practical and sentimental. You can find unique styles, add monograms & lettering. The possibilities are endless when it comes to customization.
Gag gifts can bring a few laughs upon opening. Sentimental, useful and stress relieving gifts make the gift receiver feel cared for, acknowledged and appreciated. Gifts like these that show thought and a deeper meaning are always a winner!
The law student on your team is an integral part of a smooth sailing firm. Giving them recognition and appreciation during the holiday season is important. Sentimental, useful and stress relieving gifts such as the ones listed above is a sure fire way to acknowledge their efforts.
While the thought of losing your law student once their post secondary education is complete. They may need a new space to call home once they graduate. Wolf Law Chambers offers one-day offices, conference rooms and executive offices that are fully serviced. It is the perfect place for individuals or small firms that need a space and are on a tight budget. We have offices in Downtown Toronto, Oakville and Mississauga. Visit our website www.wolflawchambers.com for more information about our spaces.
Wolf Law Chambers Private Offices will help you to save time, money, and effort, so you can
focus on winning cases and growing your business. Our team will provide you with a wide range
of services, making us the right choice for your office needs.
Why Do You Need a Private Law Office
The legal profession is a challenging one. There is no doubt about that. It is knowing the law precisely, the legal nuances, and the strategies that determine our clients' success.
However, none of that can be accomplished if you don't feel comfortable in your working space. It is sometimes necessary to feel a sense of privacy, control, and peace at the same time. It is because of these reasons that private office spaces are a great choice for legal practitioners since they offer both privacy and comfort when working on cases and brainstorming ideas. It is the best way to boost your productivity.
Would you like to know more about the advantages of working in a private space?
- It is a Peaceful Space for You
Certainly, if you're a one-person firm, it might be easier for you to work from home so that you can spend more time with family or maybe to enjoy the buzzing background sound of a busy café where no one pays you attention and earbuds let you tune out everyone.
In some cases, however, focusing fully on a case without interruptions is necessary, especially if it is a challenging case with many complexities.
Unplugging from all distractions may be the most effective solution. A private office can provide you with the peace and quiet you need to find the focus and productivity to work on your cases.
- Your Deadlines Can Be Managed Better
In some cases, you may have been overloaded with clients, others may have lasted longer than expected, or you may just have needed more time to complete a matter.
In these situations, you cannot afford to be distracted when meeting deadlines, since each case is different. Therefore, as we mentioned before, your office space should be calming, peaceful, and comfortable, and provide you with everything you need to improve your concentration and work rhythm. The benefits of a private office space include private internet access, electronic notifications, live receipt and electronic notification of clients and packages.
- You Need a Private Space for Your Consultations
Law offices are responsible for protecting the privacy of their clients. This is the law.
Solicitor-client privilege can be fulfilled while at the same time ensuring that your clients' discussions will not be shared outside your office without their consent. This is an ideal space for discussing pre-trial matters with clients and having discussions with opposing counsel.
You will also be able to gain the respect and trust of your clients if you have a private office. The entire focus of your service is on them, their needs, and how you will assist them in this legal process.
If I am a Solo Practitioner and cannot Afford a Private Office, What Can I do?
We offer private offices for individuals and small firms, which is especially convenient since office space in Downtown Toronto, Oakville and Mississauga is hard to come by, let alone affordable.
You will benefit not only from the private spaces, but also from Wolf Law Chambers’ professional legal support, including assistants to answer the phone. Our services include mailboxes, snacks, conference rooms, as well as social media promotion for your law firm. At Wolf Law Chambers, you will have access to amenities, cleaning staff, and personal and semi-private spaces, all at a competitive rate. Check out Wolf Law Chambers' workplace solutions, from a one-day office to meeting rooms to private executive offices, and you'll find something you'll like. And it’s all fully serviced! You can view our locations on our website www.wolflawchambers.ca and read our client's reviews to get an idea of what our clients think!
Wolf Law Chambers' Private Offices will help you to save time, money, and effort, so you can focus on winning cases and growing your business. Our team will provide you with a wide range of services, making us the right choice for your office needs.
5 Reasons to Work in a Shared Workspace
Working from home seems like a dream, doesn’t it? When you work from home, you can wear your favorite pajamas all day, take breaks whenever you like, and you never have to worry about traffic. In theory, it sounds delightful. Within the past two years, though, we’ve learned that working from home isn’t always the ideal dream we thought it could be. There are some significant downsides to working from home, not the least of which are isolation and distractions.
The obvious alternative is to go back to the office. But what if it’s too far? Or too small? Or do you need to be available to people at home?
Thankfully, there is a third option: coworking spaces. A coworking space is a place where…insert definition
There are many benefits to working in coworking spaces: You can form relationships with people who share your interests by sharing a space, meet people from other disciplines, there is a sense of energy and purpose in the air and work is easier.
1. Productivity Increase
When you work in a coworking space, you’re surrounded by others working on their own projects. It can motivate you to finish your work and create a sense of accountability.
There are also rules and regulations that everyone must follow in most coworking spaces, for example, it is not allowed to talk loudly on the phone, and you cannot listen to music without headphones. These guidelines help people focus on their work by maintaining quiet and peace in the shared workspace.
2. A Professional Environment
Being able to work from your bed or couch can seem like a pleasant experience. Although you can work in your pajamas, it’s not very professional. This can affect your mood, outlook and productivity. In contrast, a coworking space is a professional environment and requires professional clothing Both of these will help You get into a much more productive mindset..
Additionally, most coworking spaces in Canada and the U.S. have meeting rooms so you can meet with clients or have video calls privately. This way you’re meeting with clients in a professional setting, you don’t need to worry about backgrounds, or being accidentally disturbed by any other occupants in your house.
3. Health Benefits
Coworking spaces encourage you to take breaks and move around. By doing this, you will be able to focus and concentrate better. In addition, it can help you relax and reduce stress levels.
You can also schedule your eating habits with it. Working from home tends to lead to the habit of snacking all day. Obviously, this isn’t healthy. But in coworking spaces, lunch and breaks are usually scheduled. As a result, you can better control your food intake.
Lastly, coworking spaces can improve your posture. Working from home makes it easy to slouch or sit uncomfortably. It’s normal to sit at a desk or table in a coworking space. You can reduce back pain by sitting in the right position, at the right height in an ergonomic chair.
4. Networking Opportunities
You can easily feel alone and isolated working from home. All those meetings online do not make up for real human contact. In fact, it can be more exhausting. In a coworking space, however, you’re surrounded by people to chat and exchange ideas with. It will give you the opportunity to make genuine human connections, meet new people and develop new professional and social contacts..
5. Customization
Last but not least: personalization. Coworking spaces also offer private offices in addition to reserved desks. Depending on your needs, you can have your own enclosed space or if you prefer, you can have a desk reserved exclusively for your use. With both options, you will be free to customize and personalize it to your satisfaction.
In this tug of war between employees and employers over work from home vs office work, there is a third option to consider: coworking spaces. Check out a coworking space near you to see if it’s right for you. It could be the opportunity you didn’t know you were looking for.
The Importance of a Business Address
Businesses today compete for clients, customers, and employees. This increasingly competitive and modern world demands a business address for legal practitioners, which is usually its registered office. It is generally considered to be an effective and influential factor in attracting customers since it denotes legitimacy and professionalism. Here are several reasons why a business address will benefit you:
Contributes with a professional image
In the eyes of customers and clients, a business address is a reflection of the business. You may not realize how significant the location of a business is. When customers expect similar businesses to be in the same physical location, they usually do business with companies with registered offices in that area.
An Effective Marketing Tool
Having a business address can make marketing very effective. Your company’s business address makes it easier for clients to trust you immediately. It is essential that a prestigious, stable, and recognizable business location conveys the services provided by the company.
Qualify for Benefits
f an office is located in a less desirable location, the company might not be eligible for certain incentives and benefits.
A Competitive Advantage
If your company is the only business in the area, you can enjoy a competitive edge over your competitors. Customers who already work with your company are unlikely to switch to another.
Customer Contact Point
You can also make your customers aware of your organization by providing them with your business address. Companies with offices or registered offices have a higher chance of doing business since customers can reach them directly by phone or email.
Keep Your Business Interests Protected
Fraud can also be prevented with a business address. A valid certification verifies that your company is legitimate and that you are who you claim to be. Providing service from a legitimate organization and having staff on hand to assist your customers is a guarantee that your customers will receive quality service.
Avoid Confusion with Other Companies
When there are multiple companies based in the same region, a business address can prevent customer confusion.
At Wolf Law Chambers, you will receive amenities, cleaning staff, and personal and semi-private spaces, all at a competitive rate. Check out Wolf Law Chambers’ workplace solutions, from a one-day office to meeting rooms to private executive offices, and you’ll find something you’ll like. And it’s all fully serviced! You can view our wide variety of locations on our website www.wolflawchambers.ca and read our client’s reviews to get an idea of what our clients think!
Five Tips for Shared Workspace Etiquette
As more and more businesses and industries move toward remote or flexible work arrangements, coworking spaces are becoming increasingly popular. Some companies, especially start-ups, have always worked in coworking spaces. However, there are some professionals who, although are more comfortable with traditional offices, are now facing a coworking arrangement. Many of these professionals are unfamiliar with coworking spaces, and it’s imperative to understand coworking space etiquette if one is going to be using it.
One type of coworking space that is increasingly popular is a shared office space that individuals, teams and organizations can all use. The majority of coworking spaces have everything you need for a productive workday:
- Photocopier
- Printer
- Drinks and Snacks
- Micro-website
- Cleanliness
- Sending and Receiving e-mail
- Electronic Client and Package Notification
A high-speed internet connection and after-hours events are also frequently available.
When using a coworking space, being mindful of those around you is essential.. Having a basic understanding of coworking etiquette will ensure you are a respectful and respected member of the space when you visit for the first time.
Coworking Space Etiquette Tips
1. Use headphones
Make sure you listen to your music, podcasts, or white noise privately while you work. Headphones are a “must-have” when working in a coworking space. Noise-canceling headphones are also handy for blocking out conversations and activities around you. All calls, and meetings, should be conducted with headphones or a headpiece. No one else is interested in hearing your conversation! While coworking spaces are conducive for sharing ideas with other professionals, sometimes you don’t want to be disturbed, and headphones are a handy but polite way to indicate that.
2. Be conscious of space
A specific desk, table, or booth may be assigned exclusively to you in some coworking spaces. Other spaces are shared: different people will use the same space on a rotational or first come, first served basis. Finally, nearly all coworking spaces have communal areas with tables and couches for working to be used by anyone at any time. The shared nature of these work areas means it’s essential to be conscious of how much space you’re using. It’s impolite to spread your papers and tools over an entire table if there are others also looking for space.
3. Be aware of the time
Time is everything when it comes to coworking space etiquette. Don’t forget there is a person who has reserved the meeting room/workstation after you. Wrap up your work or meeting on time. Consider others if you’re using a phone booth. Booking meeting rooms, tables and workspaces are no different; don’t assume it’s available. Always book the space well in advance to ensure you get it and to refrain from infringing upon colleagues’ time. In coworking spaces, most things are shared, so adhering to a schedule allows you to be a more respectful office colleague
4. Keep boundaries in mind
Coworking spaces offer many positive benefits, including collaboration. However, not everyone wants to collaborate all the time. Try not to interrupt someone too frequently, and be mindful of their work habits. Consider scheduling time to collaborate with them instead of dropping by at any time. Collaboration and networking events are also common in many coworking spaces. Meet your coworkers!
5. Clean up after yourself
Coworking spaces are no different than regular offices or communal spaces in that general etiquette and common courtesy dictate that you clean up after yourself. Despite shared offices having janitorial services, it’s your responsibility to leave your workspace as clean or cleaner than you found it, so that the next person can sit down and begin working immediately. Coworking spaces often have communal kitchens, printer rooms, meeting rooms, and phone booths which should be treated with respect and cleaned after each use as well.
We hope these tips have helped! Coworking spaces are important and a great benefit to the modern professional, but as in any area when there are many people, we all have to work together to keep everything running smoothly.
Wolf Law Chambers knows how important it is for lawyers, paralegals, and solo practitioners to meet with clients. Using our meeting rooms, you’ll be able to conduct your meeting successfully. Learn how to schedule your first meeting today by checking out our meeting room services.
Are You Always Running Out of Time?
Are the current standards you have set in place the most efficient and viable in achieving your goals? Are you finding the right balance between your work and personal lives? Are you always pushing back deadlines and rescheduling matters? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself when assessing your legal practice. For lawyers, time is of the essence, no pun intended. They must prioritize their schedules in order to complete tasks on their daily agenda. There is always a constant influx of tasks and prioritization means everything when your most important assignment could be the next one you receive. Having the right skillset, tools, balance, flexibility, and procedures in place can simplify even the most complex matters allow lawyers to execute their plans proficiently. Such practices enable a firm to become more productive and this increased productivity is inevitably going to result in increased profits.
Let’s examine a billing trend report to determine how much billable time lawyers are actually getting out of their workday. Lawyers are working long hours to meet productivity goals but are only billing for 29% of their workday on average [1]. There is definitely a discrepancy in this figure and how occupied a typical lawyer’s schedule is. That means legal professionals are spending time carrying out tasks that do not equate to billable time. These tasks include, but are not limited to, administrative functions that are required in running your practice. Law school teaches lawyers how to carry out legal work and put their valuable legal expertise to practice. It is this knowledge and capability that allows lawyers to bill their clientele and earn an honest living. Yet, all law firms include tasks which need to be performed in order for a practice to remain functional but are not billable.
A simple business principle that can be implemented is outsourcing these tasks and leaving more time for yourself to work on assignments which can generate billable time. Bookkeeping and office administrative tasks can take up large portions of a workday but by outsourcing them to staff and paying for a particular service, more time is left for lawyers to focus on the legal matters specific to their line of work.
In realizing the proper techniques that need to be applied for running a more efficient legal practice, a quote from Mark Twain came up numerous times.
If you eat a frog first thing in the morning, the rest of your day will be wonderful.
Mark Twain [2]
and
If you have to eat a frog, don’t look at it for too long.
Mark Twain [2]
It is important to note that certain tasks can be daunting, and lawyers may push them back because they may take up most of their day. According to Twain, it is these tasks that could hold one back. Complete your most difficult assignment first thing in the morning, and suddenly, the other tasks become minute and less challenging. In doing so, you are able to prioritize your assignments, and create to-do lists for yourself in collaboration with your calendar [3].
Next, eliminating distractions will give you a sense of clarity in your work/practice. It is healthy to take breaks throughout your day and refresh but being unproductive is unjustifiable. Another healthy practice is taking care of your emotional and physical health. Being mentally and physically fit will contribute to your success just as much as your skillset and business intelligence will [4]. Being able to attract clients is not the sole determinate of success for a legal practice. It is equally important to be able to work on matters for those clients on a time efficient basis. If that includes taking a break, so be it. One should be open to the idea of stepping away from their work. Research shows that our brains are capable of solving problems while we are not actively working on them [5]. Hence, stepping away from your practice may, in fact, prove to be more beneficial than harmful.
Implementing technology may also prove to be an effective practice tool in time management. Using the most adept practice management software, communication tools, and digital services can lighten the burden on you and allow you to allocate time more freely. That simple advantage separates those attorneys who surrender focus on one aspect of their work and those who are all over the place.
A workspace committed to providing lawyers with the excellent communication tools and services to improve efficiency, is that of Wolf Law Chambers. Located in the heart of Mississauga, the chambers aids lawyers through the administrative aspects of their practice. This helps facilitate growth and expansion for the lawyers in their area of practice. Come in and see for yourself how Wolf Law Chambers is innovating time management in the practice of law. Visit us as 90 Matheson Blvd. West, Suite 101 and feel free to join us for all our upcoming events and workshops.
-Narvir Goindi
Mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession
In a profession that demands for you to be meticulous throughout every moment of your day, there is an enormous amount of pressure that undeniably exists. Can the continuous pressure of rushed deadlines, liabilities for oneself and others, dreadfully long work hours, stiff competition, dismissal of emotion from sensitive client matters, isolation, and/or sleep deprivation take a toll on a lawyer’s mental health and wellbeing? They most definitely can! The legal profession is one that requires psychological stability, but mental health is often neglected by those in the profession.
Lawyers are typically immersed in the vocational and theoretical aspects of their trade but are not equipped with the tools to maintain balance and focus in high stress professional environments [1]. In order to address the situation, professionals must concur to destigmatize the current views surrounding mental health. Only then can we open the door for discussion, resolution, and change the status quo.
Former President of the American Bar Association (ABA) had the following to say:
Lawyers, judges and law students are faced with an increasingly competitive and stressful profession. Studies show that substance use, addiction, and mental disorders, including depression and thoughts of suicide—often unrecognized—are at shockingly high rates [1].
Former President of the American Bar Association (ABA)
These findings are not surprising considering the daunting challenges that surround the legal profession. About 44% of lawyers recently surveyed by the ABA said that they would not recommend their profession to a young person [2]. That is quite the irony, now isn’t it; diving into a career path that you would advise others not to partake in. It is vital to understand why the profession has become so toxic and why lawyers are among the top three professionals to face substance abuse issues [2]. Only by doing so, can we develop solutions and coping mechanisms which may build resiliency amongst lawyers and prepare them to tackle stressors more effectively. Neglecting the data and the stigmatization of such health concerns is not going to solve the issue at hand, and has probably done more harm than good.
In order to address a problem, its existence must first be acknowledged. Only then, can we proceed with devising a solution and executing it to the fullest extent available. Approximately 58% of lawyers in Canada have faced stress and burnout, 48% have experienced anxiety, and 26% have experienced depression [3]. These statistics were derived from a survey conducted in 2012 but they are not irrelevant to the concern that exists in the profession regarding mental health today. Lawyers are definitely on the edge with the type of matters they deal with on the daily and it may be of benefit to implement coping mechanisms to prevent such conditions of stress/burnout, anxiety, and depression. On April the 6th of this year, the Canadian Bar Association hosted its first-ever Health and Wellness Conference, a pivotal step in the right direction [3]. The conference dove into some of the most pressing issues faced by lawyers with an emphasis placed on mental health concerns. Traditionally, those in the legal field had turned a blind eye to the day to day stresses involved with their jobs, and the potential detrimental effects they had on the psychological well being of individuals. But as more awareness continues to be raised, lawyers will realize that they are definitely not facing these issues alone, creating room for the discussion and implementation of preventative measures.
Some practices include, but are not limited to, adequate sleep, exercise, external support, social participation, vacations/extended breaks, mindfulness, flexibility, workload management, and/or seeking professional help [4]. The definition of mindfulness, as written in the Oxford Dictionary of English is, “A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique [5].” To dwell in the present and acknowledge one’s mental and physical state of being constitutes to being mindful. In doing so, one is able to immediately understand how they feel, and asses if there is need to take action. Once that is taken care of, there are many coping mechanisms that can be put to practice. Rest is definitely vital in performance and sometimes you may have to step away from your professional practice to take a break and revitalise your mind and body [4]. Speaking to loved ones can lessen the burden and help get a load off your chest. It has even proven to reduce the body’s physiological response to stressful events [4]. Lawyers can speak to loved ones, whose opinions they regard and weigh considerably, to help them cope with a dilemma. If that does not work to any avail, they can always pursue the services of a certified mental health professional. There are many support groups, within and outside the legal community, where they can get aid. Next, remaining flexible allows one to meet the shifting demands of their environment [4]. This is definitely relevant for lawyers who deal with a variety of complex matters. Focusing solely on the aspects of a situation you can reasonably expect to influence, paves the way for the process of eliminating things that may induce stress [4]. Last, but definitely not the least important, is the ability to manage one’s workload. Do not overload your schedule with client files and matters you cannot handle. It is completely rational to ask for help and outsource your work to create balance and become more efficient. Schedule yourself in such a manner that you can handle your workload and balance life outside of work. Do not be overwhelmed, so that you give yourself more openings to remain stressed.
To conclude, mental health is a serious concern for lawyers and legal professionals alike. If you ever feel that coping with adversity is too formidable a task, please seek help immediately! Remain mindful of your physiological and mental well being, acknowledging any negative changes in mood, behaviour, and habits. Then, carefully cultivate and strategize techniques to cope with such changes. You may be able to do so using techniques already in place or by seeking professional help. The Canadian Bar Association’s Legal Profession Assistance Conference (LPAC) says that they are, “Dedicated to helping lawyers, judges and law students and their families with personal, emotional, health and lifestyle issues through a network of Lawyer Assistance Programs, a national 24-hour helpline and through provincial programs [4].” Do not neglect your mental health and wellbeing! Please take initiative and use these resources which are so readily available.
[1] Lefkowitz, Dena. ‘Investing in Lawyer Well-Being-Why It Matters’, (2019), The Legal Intelligencer. https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2019/08/14/investing-in-lawyer-well-being-why-it-matters/ [2] Kane, Sally. ‘The 10 Challengers About a Career As a Lawyer’ (2019) the balance careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/lawyer-career-drawbacks-2164594 [3] Ashley Pollack, Candice. ‘Mental health in the legal profession: Are we asking the right questions’ (2019) The Canadian Bar Association. https://www.cba.org/Sections/Young-Lawyers/Articles/2019/Mental-health-in-the-legal-profession-Are-we-aski [4] Kelly, Owen. ‘Coping with Stress and Avoiding Burnout: Techniques for Lawyers’. (2009) The Canadian Bar Association. https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/CBA-Practice-Link/Work-Life-Balance/Health-Wellness/Coping-with-Stress-and-Avoiding-Burnout-Techniques [5] Oxford Dictionary of English. 3d ed. Sub verbo. ‘Mindfulness’.-Narvir Goindi