Finding Balance in a Work-Heavy Profession

Health and wellness in the legal profession is a growing concern. Megan Seto, an associate at McInnes Cooper in Halifax took to twitter on Bells Let’s Talk Day and exposed some scary truths about lawyers and mental illness:

“lawyers suffer from #depression at a rate that is 3.6x higher than those that share the same economic traits”; “while 4% of the general population suffers from anxiety – 30% of male lawyers and 20% of female lawyers report illness”; “for law students and junior lawyers, fear of stigma proves to be a powerful inhibitor in detection and recovery #BellLetsTalk #depression”; “competition in law school can create #stress, fear, #anxiety and a profound loss of self-esteem. #BellLetsTalk #depression.”; and “why care about depression & law? The illness limits a lawyer’s ability to distribute most valuable asset — talent & knowledge.”

This got me thinking about life as an articling student. I have been fairly successful managing my time as a law student, but articling is a whole other game. First to arrive, last to leave. Nothing looks better than a senior partner seeing you, a lowly articling student, scouring mountains of paper at 10pm – right? That’s the epitome of a solid work ethic, yes? For a long time that was my understanding of how an articling student gained respect at a firm. However, we are the generation of work-life balance. Often criticized for being lazier than our predecessors, we actually may have a competitive edge. We have resources to be more balanced, happy and healthy practitioners long term than any lawyers before us. The stress and anxiety of the legal profession are actually being talked about and better yet firms are starting to make sure that these issues are addressed.

So what does this mean for us? It is unlikely we will be victims of the 80-hour workweeks many of our seniors experienced in their first years. We might put in more hours outside of the office, thanks to the availability and accessibility of modern at home work. We might be at a firm that offers health workshops, or brings in speakers to discuss anything from ergonomics to the benefits of drinking more water. Other firms may provide compensation in the form of fitness passes, or provide more vacation days. In addition it is likely more and more resources will become available to us like the CBA Legal Profession Assistance Centre, offering mental health support programs, training and a 24-hour help line to lawyers.

While the stigma around mental health is still prevalent, this is something that should continued to be talked about. And should you find yourself in a position where your health and career success seem incompatible, remember as a lawyer your most valuable asset is your mental abilities.