There are countless articles about why the practice of law is stressful and why lawyers stop practicing law. The top reasons lawyers burn out include stress and work-life balance. The root causes of stress and work-life balance issues are things that can be managed, but that often get ignored or overlooked by members of a high-stakes profession where most participants are high-performing perfectionists focused on winning and the satisfaction of other people, including clients, judges, and even peers.

This article is a summary of potential solutions. This list is not exhaustive and likely contains many strategies that lawyers are intellectually aware of but lack the resources or will to engage with. As part of this summary, I will share, anecdotally, how my law firm has implemented some of these solutions in the partly altruistic hope that it can help other lawyers achieve the happiness and joy in the practice of law that many of my law partners and associate attorneys have found at Dunlap, Bennett & Ludwig.

Here are several strategies that lawyers should consider using to help themselves alleviate some of the issues related to burnout and stress:

1. Establish Boundaries

You hear the work-life balance bandied about by almost every law firm’s recruiting team, but what policies support this? Merely saying a thing does not make it so. While it is crucial for individual lawyers to set limits for working hours and to avoid obscuring the lines between work and personal life, law firms need to step up to support this.

An excellent way to start this is to create real unplugged time daily where you don’t answer the phone, check email, or do anything related to work. Explicitly communicating specific expectations with bosses, clients, and peers is vital but something many lawyers shy away from without a rational basis. Setting an out-of-office (OOO) notice every day from noon to 1 pm might be enough. Establishing boundaries at work is critical in managing stress, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and preventing burnout.

DBL’s internal mentorship program offers an outlet for more junior attorneys to meet with partners outside their regular working group for advice on communicating. We have found that with a policy of unlimited vacation and telecommuting for our attorneys, the boundary conversation is a two-way street, and a combination of clearly communicated expectations and dialogue has created a successful structure for establishing boundaries. Here are some specific strategies you might employ individually:

1. 1. Set Working Hours: Establish a clear start and end time for your workday. There will always be times when lawyers have to work extra hours; however, having set “office hours” will help maintain a boundary between work and personal life. Research by the Journal of Vocational Behavior found people who set boundaries are more likely to experience work-life balance.
   2. Communicate: Most lawyers have dealt with nervous clients who want everything done immediately. Discuss your capacity and availability with bosses, clients, and peers. Often a client has set an artificially short turnaround time on a project. If you have too much on your metaphorical work plate, it’s essential to communicate this effectively and learn to “push back.”

2. Take Breaks

Something as simple as taking a break, even for five or ten minutes, can make a massive difference in effectiveness. A study in the journal Cognition found that even brief diversions can dramatically improve focus. According to the Journal of Legal Education, deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can reduce stress and anxiety. Simple techniques like deep breathing can be done sitting at your desk in a very short time. The Mayo Clinic provides easy-to-follow directions for simple techniques like autogenic relaxation and progressive muscle relaxation.

3. Prioritize Tasks

Not every task needs to be done immediately. Prioritizing important work based on deadlines and focusing on the most crucial tasks one at a time can help manage workload and reduce stress while simultaneously allowing lawyers to create a better end work product. The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a simple way to do this. Draw a two-by-two box matrix. The X-axis represents relative “importance,” and the Y-axis represents the “urgency” of a task. For more details, see this great article on the Forbes website. DBL offers internal time management training for attorneys and staff alike. Our CEO is a time management expert certified project manager and advocate.

4. Exercise and Eat Right

Regular physical activity and a healthy diet can do wonders for stress and anxiety, contributing to a general sense of well-being that will combat stress’s physical toll on the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise increases endorphin production. It can provide a distraction from worries, simultaneously improving sleep and boosting self-confidence. Eating right also plays a serious role in managing stress. The body and brain need fuel to function optimally. When you are stressed, your body needs more energy. Skip the chips! DBL instituted a program of making sure all our offices offer healthy snacks (bananas, vegetable chips, etc., and access to mineral water).

1. 1. Complex carbs like fruits, whole grains, and vegetables release serotonin, a hormone that promotes feelings of well-being and relaxation.
   2. Healthy Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and flaxseed can help reduce stress hormone levels and protect against depression, see, e.g., University of Manchester study.
   3. Drinking more water can prevent dehydration, which will otherwise cause fatigue and exacerbate stress.

5. Seek Professional Help

Lawyers often think because they are high-performing brilliant individuals that, they don’t need help. However, confidential therapy and counseling can provide strategies for managing stress and help address any deeper issues contributing to burnout. DBL offers an “on-call” psychiatrist who focuses on the confidential counseling of firm lawyers.

6. Make a Change

Some work environments and law firms are toxic. It may be time to seek a more collegial environment that suits your lifestyle better. A considerable number of professionals in the law industry have made this change, seeking out firms that not only talk the talk of work-life balance but walk the walk. Whether you are a partner or associate, often changing how the job is structured can help alleviate stress. DBL does not have specific billable minimums for partners, nor does the firm mandate how lawyers work. For associate attorneys, DBL offers two works paths, a lifestyle track and a partner track, with differing billable requirements. The firm measures success not on “face time” but on production.

Not every law firm or lawyer can practically employ every technique immediately. Change takes time and willpower. Making any of the changes above, even once a week or once a month, will ultimately contribute to happier and healthier lawyers who do a better job for their clients, leading to a successful and happy way to practice law.

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