Find work and a life beyond the billable hour.
Highly sensitive people (HSPs) perceive much higher levels of sensory input than the average person. This innate trait can make lawyering a difficult or miserable experience, unless you work in a highly supportive, collegial culture. Most legal environments are not that. If you suspect you’re an HSP lawyer, changing some aspect of your job is likely necessary.
What right do we former lawyers have to be bitter and unhappy? I mean, when at least half of attorneys surveyed say they would not choose law again, obviously nothing is wrong with the structure and culture of the profession. It’s—‘DOH!— our bad personal choice to go to law school that is to blame.
Even though depression and anxiety can paralyze you right now, don’t give up on your wild and precious self. Reach out for help and accountability.
Whatever your career stage, it’s not too late to design your life. How do you want it to look? Discerning that answer is crucial to designing a satisfying life & career. Or, go ahead and shove the question aside, and let the forces around you shape your life instead.
World and national events. have heightened our anxiety, for sure. But the bigger problem may be that our work tools dictate a frenzied mental pace–one that far outstrips our actual ability to deal with that pace. All those little islands of downtime that we used to have–waiting rooms, lines, the commute–are now filled with chatter and productivity. Without downtime, our brains get stressed, and we get anxious.
The toxicity of law culture runs so deep that most firms score at least 10 out of 13 factors that lead to employee burnout. What about yours?
Job ads that make you clenched or depressed? Stop entertaining those ideas for your next gig. Regardless of pay or how much sense they make on paper, they don’t make sense for YOU.
Sick of people? Telecommuting might be a good plan. Beware, though! If you don’t understand the source of your misanthropy –unmet introvert needs? poor boundaries?–you’ll still be unhappy with work, no matter where it is. Even if you telecommute, you’re going to be dealing with people.
November 1 is breathing down our necks! Why does this matter? Well, there’s this thing I write about sometimes, called
Will this be easy? No. But neither is living with your stress level. Stress kills us by triggering health problems that might have lain dormant. Plus it robs us of joy. Who wouldn’t want to trade poor health and misery for a chance at something much better?
Dear Jennifer, I’m three years out of school. I lasted 18 months at my big law job, where they inexplicably
Ever wished you could write for advice from a career coach who understood law? Well now, you can. Fire off that letter to jalvey@jenniferalvey.com. Maybe your letter will be the first one answered!
Rarely are there calls for the legal industry to hold itself accountable for creating alarming rates of depression/substance abuse/suicide in the profession. Despite the fact that lawyering is a stressful job done while surrounded by many dysfunctional, unpleasant people who actively try to thwart you—colleagues and opposing counsel alike. Somehow, we are supposed to survive and thrive in a toxic hellscape at work.
Leaving the Law 