Lawyer Assistance

• Publication year: 2023
• Citation: Vol. 46 No. 3 Pg. 14
• Pages: 14

Lawyer AssistanceVol. 46 No. 3 Pg. 14Wyoming Bar JournalJune, 2023

Lawyer Assistance

John Ordiway, MS, LPC, LAT, CBIST

John is currently the Clinical Director for the Wyoming Professional Assistance Program and a Psychology Instructor at Casper College.

Burned out?? No, not me . . . or am I?

Lately many journal articles and conference sessions focus on the high rate of burnout in the legal profession. It begs the question, why? What is it about the practice of law that is resulting in 52% of respondents (2021 Bloomberg) reporting feeling burned out in their practice area? Let's explore some possibilities.

Workload

One of the challenges faced by attorneys is the expectation to maintain billable hours or number of clients. In short, the more you work, the more you make. If you did a survey of how many people want a raise, you are likely to get a 100% affirmative response. As lawyers, that translates into one

If you suspect you are dealing with higher rates of stress or symptoms of burnout, just talking about those feelings with someone can help you ease the pressure and refocus. That may be a significant other, friend or counselor.

of two options, work more cases/hours or increase your fees. The challenge with the former is the more you put on your plate, the greater the chance some things start to fall off and get neglected. This...