Wellness
Retirement, identity, and mental health: It’s an adjustment
Lawyers often pay lip service to looking forward to retirement. However, when pressed on the subject, many admit that their true feelings are mixed. Those who equivocate may have good reason: for many professionals, the adjustment to retirement can be psychologically challenging. A 2013 study¹ showed that retirement increased the risk of clinical depression in… Read More »
Categories: 2017 August Managing Change, Articles, Content Type, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Legal Careers, Succession Planning, Topics, Wellness, WellnessNever Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story of how he Gambled His Career Away
Michael J. Burke, published 2008, 250 pages Never Enough is the shocking, true story of Michael J. Burke, who went from being a successful lawyer, loving father and husband, and respected member of his community to a closet alcoholic and gambling addict to the tune of $1,600,000, using client’s trust account funds.
Categories: Book, Wellness, WellnessLawyer’s Guide to Healing: Solutions of Addiction and Depression
Don Carroll, J.D., published 2006, 183 pages Stress, power, and high expectations of the legal profession leave lawyers especially vulnerable to addiction. What’s more, personality traits that contribute to a lawyer’s success – among them, grandiosity and a need to control – can impede recovery. As director of the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program, Don… Read More »
Categories: Book, Legal Careers, Wellness, WellnessLawyer’s Guide to Balancing Life & Work 2nd Edition
George W. Kaufmann, published 2006, 258 pages with CD-ROM This newly updated and revised Second Edition is written specifically to help lawyers achieve professional and personal satisfaction in their career. Writing with warmth and seasoned wisdom, George Kaufman examines how the profession has changed over the last five year, then offers philosophical approaches, practical examples,… Read More »
Categories: Book, Legal Careers, Wellness, WellnessAre you a Maximizer or a Satisficer? How to make happier choices
The last time you bought a house or searched for a rental apartment, how did you choose, and how did you feel about your choice afterward? Psychologists studying the relationship between how we make choices and our life satisfaction have found that those who put the greatest effort into making choices are rewarded with less… Read More »
Categories: 2017 February Neuroscience, Firm Management, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Wellness, WellnessFeeling the pressure?
Each of us faces challenges in life. Sometimes we welcome those challenges, like marriage, the birth of a child, a promotion or a new job. And sometimes we don’t, like divorce, job loss, a serious illness or the death of a loved one. It is no secret that a legal career brings with it many… Read More »
Categories: 2017 Student Issue No 5, Articles, WellnessLet technology be your path to wellness
Safety apps People who travel alone, work with violent accused, or find themselves in other potentially dangerous situations may want to try out personal safety smartphone apps. These work in a variety of ways: they can allow loved ones to track you remotely via GPS; send out an alert to friends if you fail to… Read More »
Categories: 2016 September A2J, Articles, Legal Technology, Wellness, WellnessStress management for law students (2016)
We all know what law school stress looks like. Come exam time, we see its physical manifestations: the law student, hibernating in the law library, subsisting on a diet of coffee and candy, sits surrounded by mountains of books, empty cans of energy drinks and an arsenal of highlighters. We recognize the bloodshot eyes and… Read More »
Categories: 2016 Student Issue 4, Articles, Law students/new lawyers, New Lawyer Issue, New Lawyers, Wellness, WellnessThe day-to-day stresses and challenges of being a lawyer
A sole practitioner and single mom is locked in a room in her house. Her young autistic son, outside the room, has put a chair up against the door to prevent it from opening. There is a lot of yelling and screaming. She calls 911 and the police arrive. One of the constables happens to… Read More »
Categories: 2015 September Blue Sky, Articles, Legal Careers, Legal Technology, Wellness, WellnessSelf-assessment: do I need help?
Lawyers are used to helping others with their problems. This can lead to viewing others – not ourselves – as the people with the problems. But lawyers are actually more likely than the population average to experience addiction or suffer from mental illness. Many worry that there is a potent stigma attached to being a… Read More »
Categories: 2015 September Blue Sky, Articles, Wellness, Wellness