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Interrupting my break to attend the @LAWPRO and @TLAvoice CPD this morning on mental health during the second wave with @DoronJGold, @orlando_lsm, @JStrawczynski, @LSOTreasurer. Will live tweet for anyone out there who aren’t among the nearly 2000 attendees.
@DoronJGold: “if you thought being a lawyer was hard, try doing it during a pandemic.” Emphasizes that many lawyers at the top of their game struggle to understand how the same tools that got them there, are now dragging them down the hill.
@orlando_lsm on imposter syndrome: some people with imposter syndrome feel difficult expressing their views and concerns as they question their own value.
@LSOTreasurer says that the pressures on lawyers also apply to paralegals and other people supporting the profession. She references the pressures of practice, such as billing and expectations, which also are impacted by the pandemic.
@orlando_lsm with great comments as someone responsible for managing a large staff. His people in the second wave are increasingly tired, conflict is increasing, criticism is not taken well. He is reaching out to new people to just check in.
@DoronJGold explains that he has seen a collective exhaustion. We are not alone. It is not unusual or wrong to feel that way. Notes that people had hope with the new year and the vaccine news and it seems to have dissipated.
@DoronJGold notes that sharing of the experience and recognizing that those struggling are not alone will help alleviate some of the stress.
@LSOTreasurer states that the profession needs to acknowledge what people are going through right now and that we have to take the time. She is now not working on weekends. Sending emails on a weekend not only impacts you, but causes pressures on the recipient.
@LSOTreasurer says we need to be thoughtful on how what we do impacts other people.
Maheash Khan reiterates the point that if leaders are working on the weekend, the people they work with will feel the need to model the behaviour.
@JStrawczynski acknowledges the plight of students working online and articling students/young lawyers trying to figure out law firms and cultures and systems and struggling to reach out for assistance.
Juda mentions that at the top of the big four risks of claims is communication and communication challenges are amplified right now. The second is timelines and limitation periods. He notes systems are in someways disrupted right now.
Jude mentions all of the changes in processes and workflow and that causes challenges in the midst of a pandemic.
The third large area of claims is time management. But right now time management is hard. Some people are struggling to find the time to work during the day. He says 9-5 may no longer be a thing. If you are using alternate working hours, that’s okay.
Notes the ability to delay delivery of emails or adding a tagline recognizing that you don’t expect people to respond outside of their working hours.
The fourth area of risk is errors in law and that risk is still there. @JStrawczynski notes for employment lawyers, it is a stressful time as things are changing sometimes daily.
@LSOTreasurer notes that lawyers also carry the weight of experience that their clients are going through. They feel their clients trauma. What do we do? Do we just work harder and harder? Mentions criminal lawyers and the stress of the delay on their clients.
She says we have to acknowledge what we are experiencing and then take steps to address it. Having someone to talk to. Setting boundaries and drawing lines.
@DoronJGold mentions most lawyers hold it all in. He says you can’t hold it in. If you are dealing with trauma or someone else’s trauma, you need to take it all in and have time to centre ourselves. We can’t just move on to the next thing.
We need to build structures to allow people to share their experiences, particularly for sole practitioners.
@DoronJGold mentions the concept of empathy. Knowing everyone is going through something. Don’t carry the weight of judgment on others. Knowing that we all have this same experience helps take the weight off ourselves.
