Lawyer Wellness

Patent Lawyer Who Became Schoolteacher Has New Frustrations

A patent lawyer who decided to escape law firm life for more time with her family nearly gave up on her new profession as a schoolteacher. Lisa Johnson, a 35-year-old Yale law graduate with four children, practiced for five years before making the career switch, the Washington Post reports in…

Apr 27, 2009 5:58 PM CDT

Fearful Associates Opt for Partner Face Time Over Work-at-Home Time

The balance of power has shifted away from associates at big law firms who got top pay, demanded interesting work and flexible schedules. Now associates fearing layoffs are more reluctant to raise workplace concerns and to ask for work-life balance accommodations, observers told the National Law Journal. And with good…

Apr 23, 2009 2:25 PM CDT

Five Reasons Lawyers Get into Silly Fights at Work

Emotions such as anger and traits such as ego make it easy for lawyers to get drawn into silly fights at work. Lawyer and compliance consultant Erika Tyner Allen identifies five reasons lawyers get drawn into workplace disputes, and offers ways to avoid the next fight. Writing in the Complete…

Apr 17, 2009 2:23 PM CDT

In Online Forum, Lawyer Tells of Sacrificing Personal Life for Work

A 43-year-old lawyer writing in an online forum tells of her regrets about sacrificing her personal life for work. The lawyer says when she was in college and law school in the late 1980s and early 1990s, discussions about work-life balance “would have caused big problems on the work front–the…

Apr 14, 2009 12:32 PM CDT

Ex-Lawyer Among Bloggers Who Write About Parenthood Foibles

A former lawyer writing online about her foibles as a mother is one of several bloggers chronicling their less-than-perfect child rearing tactics. The blogger is Carole Morrell, and her tongue-in-cheek blog is titled The Drunken Housewife, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). In a post explaining her background, Morrell…

Apr 13, 2009 6:28 PM CDT

Associate Plans a Year of Travel, Thanks to Skadden’s No-Strings-Attached Offer

Sixth-year associate Heather Eisenlord hopes to visit as many as 15 locations in an upcoming year-long world trip. During that time, she might practice not-for-profit law, or teach English to monks in Sri Lanka or help bring solar power to parts of the Himalayas. Eisenlord’s employer, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher…

Apr 13, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

Cuts at Chapman and Cutler Hit More Lawyers in Lower-Paying Tier

Chapman and Cutler announced a program 18 months ago that gave third-year associates a choice: They could work more hours for more pay, or fewer hours for less pay. Now some associates in the lower-paid tier likely regret their choice. The Chicago-based firm has been pruning underperforming lawyers, and more…

Apr 10, 2009 11:36 AM CDT

Dismal Economy Stresses Out Even Those Doing Relatively Well

Feeling stressed about economic issues? You’re not alone. Even those who are relatively well-off and handling their own finances responsibly are worrying more than they used to, perhaps because of an increasing sense that they have less control than they thought they did over their own fates as the global…

Apr 9, 2009 6:53 PM CDT

Law Firm Leaders to Corporate Clients: Help Us Implement Flex Time

Law firm leaders are looking to their clients for affirmation that flex-time and part-time programs aren’t a liability. At a meeting sponsored by the Project for Attorney Retention, top law firm managers talked about fears that their in-house clients view flex- and part-time lawyers as a threat to responsiveness or…

Apr 3, 2009 12:48 PM CDT

New Concierge Service Caters to ‘Time Poor, Cash Rich’ Lawyers

Lawyers feeling the heat to work longer hours to generate business as the economy continues to slide have a new ally in their corner—one that will stock the fridge, shuttle children to soccer practice, and even bring chicken soup should the flu strike. Legally Organized, billed as the first legal…

Mar 24, 2009 5:17 PM CDT

‘Recovering Lawyer’ Teaches Belly Dance, Hires Covington Partner

A belly dancing instructor who calls herself a “recovering lawyer” isn’t the only one of her ilk to take up the sensuous style of dance. “The reality of it is that in D.C. there are a lot of belly-dancing lawyers,” says Rachael Galoob Ortega, aka Saphira in the belly-dancing world,…

Mar 23, 2009 2:24 PM CDT

Feeling Like a Failure? Given in to Cynicism? Your Diagnosis is Burnout

Cynicism isn’t just a personality trait—it can also be a symptom of burnout, according to two researchers. The study by researchers Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter found that burnout can lead to diminished work performance and family stress, Canwest News Service reports. A legal advice column in the Am Law…

Mar 20, 2009 6:41 PM CDT

Lawyers in ‘Sister Buddy Group’ Mourn Shooting Death of Holland & Knight Secretary

Sophia Nelson, who worked as a lawyer at Holland & Knight, is joining with other black attorneys and professionals in a new support group to discuss the kinds of personal issues that are rarely topics of conversation. Many black women are taught from youth to be strong and hide problems…

Mar 2, 2009 3:47 PM CST

Facing Another Request for a Weekend Project? Here’s How to Refuse

A lawyer coach says it is possible to head off constant partner requests for weekend work, and it involves more than the single word “no.” In a Legal Intelligencer article, Debra Bruce offers several strategies to free up your weekend while satisfying a demanding partner. They include: –Approach the partner…

Feb 27, 2009 7:16 PM CST

Perfectionism, ‘Psychic Battering’ Among Reasons for Lawyer Depression

The likelihood of depression is 3.6 times higher for lawyers than other employed people, and the reasons include the pressures of the job and characteristics that make lawyers good at their jobs. The Cleveland Plain Dealer interviewed experts on lawyer depression and substance abuse for a story on a Cleveland…

Feb 18, 2009 3:40 PM CST