There is an analogy that has been passed down through the years involving a woodcutter going about the task of cutting wood. In the story, the woodcutter is asked by an observer why they don’t stop to sharpen their saw.…
Develop Your Work Mindset
Take a moment to think about your typical workday. If you look closely, every workday is simply a series of hundreds of mini-situations you must think through in order to make it through the day: How do I deal with…
How Mindfulness Practices Can Benefit Lawyers
Burnout is a phenomenon that many lawyers are all too familiar with. You’re working long hours, sleep has become elusive, you’re chronically exhausted, overly cynical, and you may feel ineffective in your career. Even your subconscious thoughts are constantly ruminating…
Tools for Lawyer Resilience
The shadow of stress inevitably hovers over work in any profession. That is especially true in the practice of law, an endeavor in which lawyers must solve challenging and high-stakes problems, often within extremely tight deadlines. So, what does it…
Law Firms Get Creative To Combat Mental Health Challenges
When the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman asked employees to share their wellness concerns in a confidential survey last year, lawyers and professional staff alike reported stress as the top issue by far. Yet few people were taking advantage…
Lawyers Find Strategies for Dealing with Secondary Trauma
Like many lawyers, Vicki Trapalis is called upon to deal with other people’s trauma on a daily basis. She works in San Francisco’s dependency court, representing children who have been through unimaginable horrors. Recently, she got a desperate call from…