Wellness
The hidden risks of acting for family and friends: Protecting your mental health and relationships
At some point in their career, nearly every lawyer will be approached by a friend or family member seeking legal advice. The instinct to help comes naturally, but when viewed from a mental health perspective, the risks involved require thoughtful consideration before proceeding. Mental health risks Acting for family or friends introduces challenges that can… Read More »
Categories: Articles, Wellness, WellnessHow managing your schedule can help you stay well
Decision fatigue is the decline in energy and focus you experience after making decisions or engaging in mundane tasks. This mental drain can cause you to seek immediate rewards, which can lead to poor decision making and inefficient or irrational behavior. Here are five ways you can manage your daily schedule to stay focused and… Read More »
Categories: 2024 March - The Confidence Client, Articles, WellnessThe Member Assistance Program
Many students and lawyers find themselves confronting mental health and wellness issues during their career. If you find yourself dealing with depression, anxiety, addiction, or other mental health or wellness concerns, know that you’re not alone. The Ontario Member Assistance Program (“MAP”) operated by Homewood Health provides resources and counselling at no cost to Ontario… Read More »
Categories: Articles, New Lawyer Issue, Wellness, WellnessUnderstanding mental health in the legal profession
Herman Melville wrote that the legal profession is one where “misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.” In Melville’s story of Bartleby, the Scrivenor, a solicitor watches this silent misery slowly consume and destroy his copyist, Bartleby. Although Melville wrote his tragedy about depression in the legal profession in 1853, it… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessUsing the MAP to find a healthier way
Although compromised mental health within the legal profession has historically been a widespread and deeply rooted problem, increasing awareness and new resources are building a healthier, more resilient, and stronger profession. That’s where myassistplan.com from the Member Assistance Program (MAP) comes in. The MAP provides Ontario lawyers, paralegals, law students, judges, and family members, with… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessWarning signs: Why it’s important for lawyers and firms to be proactive about mental health
When lawyers ignore their mental health and fail to act on warning signs, they not only harm their quality-of-life and job satisfaction, they leave themselves open to a claim, or even a cluster of malpractice claims. It’s 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your associates are? A lawyer’s life can be a lonely one. Long… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessPuttıng the fire out: Dealing with the stress of a malpractice claim
There is simply no doubt about it: making an error or having an action commenced against you is stressful, even for the most successful lawyers. And because almost half of Ontario lawyers in private practice will face a malpractice claim at least once in their career, at some point this stress will be a reality… Read More »
Categories: 2020 January - Finding Your Way, Articles, Wellness, WellnessCounselling and wellness assistance
The Member Assistance Program (MAP), offered by Homewood Health provides a wide range of services and resources to lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and other legal professionals, as well as their families. Perhaps you’re stressed, not sleeping, dealing with marital strife or suspecting you drink too much. Or you may be searching for more information… Read More »
Categories: Articles, Wellness, WellnessHappier where you are, or getting to a better place (2018)
Lawyering is stressful. Lawyers expect to handle the pressures of solving individuals’ high-stakes, emotionally charged problems. What lawyers don’t necessarily anticipate is that they may suffer stress from being stuck in a work situation that is not their first choice. Competition for jobs may mean that a lawyer needs to accept work outside his or… Read More »
Categories: 2018 Student Issue 6, Articles, Content Type, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Topics, Wellness, WellnessWhere to look for help
The Member Assistance Program (MAP), offered by Homewood Health provides a wide range of services and resources to lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and other legal professionals, as well as their families. Perhaps you’re stressed, not sleeping, dealing with marital strife or suspecting you drink too much. Or you may be searching for more information… Read More »
Categories: 2018 Student Issue 6, Articles, Content Type, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Topics, Wellness, Wellness