SDDAA warns its members against Lawyer ‘Burn-Out’

The law profession may not be one of the most physically and mentally taxing work, and it is no surprise that most lawyers may not be resting enough, sleeping enough, and relaxing enough to enjoy life outside their profession.

Career burnout can be real for some lawyers. (Photo Credits)

The San Diego Defense Attorneys Association is cautioning its members against lawyer burn-out saying its health and mental repercussions could be bigger than what they could be assuming. In their monthly newsletter, SDDAA Executive Director Frank Adams says lawyer burn out happens by the minute and it is not doing the career and the whole profession any good.

“Lawyer burn-out is counter-productive. As it is being a lawyer is stressful, but being in criminal defense magnifies that stress level to a whole new dimension. For this reason, we encourage our members to take time out from their busy schedules to allot time with themselves, for their health, for the people who give meaning to their life,” Adams says.

Chron.com enumerated the many challenges defense lawyers face. One of those that they discussed in their web post is time and resources allotted on the criminal defense practice.

“Defense attorneys often spend excessive evening and weekend hours working on cases just before, during and after trial. Additionally, these lawyers often face an uphill battle due to limited resources. Law enforcement and district attorneys' offices often spend significant amounts of money to prepare and prosecute cases. Defense attorneys must control costs to maintain a profitable business, and rely on legal aides, assistants and paralegals for research help.” The American Law Institute

Check out the rest of the web article here.

Burn-out and its impact

The website Attorney At Work also discussed lawyer burn-out saying that it does not only affect the lawyers themselves. American Bar Association

“However, the truth is, while it may be your body and your life, it will be your clients’ problem if you don’t head off the consequences of stress and burnout. It is the client who loses the suit when you are too hungover to properly defend her deposition; the client who ends up incarcerated because you were so depressed the week before trial that you never got yourself focused and prepared for the trial; and the client who is left in the lurch when you are suddenly hospitalized with a major health crisis.”

The continuation of the write-up can be found here.

Putting in long hours in the job, and unhealthy work habits may produce positive results for the meantime, but in the long term it could have a greater negative impact to a lawyer’s physical and mental health, to his practice, his clients, and even in his reputation.

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