Results from the The Legal Sector Workers United (LSWU) survey reported, “More than seven out of ten people working in the legal sector claim their job has had a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing.”

Isaac Ricca-Richardson, LSWU Communications Secretary commented, “While we expected that the results [from the survey]  wouldn’t be pretty, we were shocked by the extent and severity of the mental health crisis facing the legal sector. Unless bosses take real action, and soon, their staff will be at risk of burnout, breakdown, or leaving the sector altogether.”

Common responses from the survey included an inability to focus, and working longer hours as manual tasks take a long time to complete. Juggling multiple deadlines, meeting clients’ needs and staying on top of new laws and regulations can come at a price.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is an occupational hazard—“a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

The WHO outlines several signs of burnout, including:

• Feelings of exhaustion
• Pulling away mentally from a job
• Work-related cynicism

While anyone in any profession can absolutely experience burnout and work-related stress, solicitors are particularly prone to suffering from it, and to suffering the consequences.

How solicitors can prevent burnout

For overworked solicitors who are dealing with work-related stress and on the verge of burnout, it’s important to act quickly. It’s much better to slow down for a while and recover than to push yourself to the point of total mental and physical exhaustion.

If you think you’re at risk of burnout:

• Step back
• Assess your situation
• Look for ways to curtail work-related stress and solicitor burnout

Some tactics solicitors can use to take care of their mental health and keep work-related stress and burnout at bay include:

Setting boundaries

If you don’t want to burn out, you need to know (and respect) your limits. Solicitors need to know how to avoid work-related stress, by learning to say no and letting go of the belief that you can handle more than you actually can.

Be true to yourself

If you’re working in a way that creates stress and at a pace that may lead to mental health problems, that is an unsustainable path that is like a roadmap to solicitor burnout. Take the time to find your own truth and what’s going to work for you – and remember that you always have options.

Recharge

Sleep!

Sleep is one of the best things that you can do to rest and prioritise taking care of your body and mental wellbeing. Focus on just being yourself, rather than focusing on yourself just as a solicitor.

Common precursors for lawyers burning out are often simple things like “not having any personal time, not having any time to exercise, to take a yoga class, to feel like you can walk outside and get a breath of fresh air.”

Find ways you can incorporate activity into your schedule. Could you have a walking meeting with a colleague or client? Can you commit to leaving the office for 45 minutes once a week?

Talk

If you’re starting to feel the symptoms of burnout, talk to someone. If you’re a solicitor in the UK reading this please give me a call. Even if you don’t know me, I’ll make time for you!

There are plenty of online and in-person resources. For some, meeting with a counsellor regularly is a form of self-care. Or you may feel more comfortable having a one-off chat with an online counsellor.

Find someone you can talk to about your feelings. It could be your spouse, a friend, or a work colleague. All that matters is that you pay attention to the signs and take the time to express how you’re feeling.

Ignoring feelings of burnout, like anxiety and sadness only perpetuates them. That’s why being proactive with your mental health is so important.

Consultancy

For me, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made was to explore the consultancy model – as offered by Nexa Law, with whom I’m a consultant.

Being a consultant gives you the freedom and flexibility to take the steps above. You can start putting yourself first, do less work and earn more money, and have time for the family, hobbies or whatever it is that helps you.

If you’d like a no-pressure chat on consultancy or you’re interested in becoming a consultant solicitor, then let me know.