Lawyer Monthly - January 2022 Edition

16 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | JAN 2022 COMBATTING STRESS IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION: ADJUSTING TO THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ As we continue to grapple with the pandemic, the question of how we adapt to the ‘new normal’ in our working and professional lives is at the forefront of our concerns. As lawyers, we need to take particular note of this. Research suggests that legal professionals generally experience higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress and lower levels of mental wellbeing than members of the general population. According to a recent study from legal mental health charity Law Care (entitled ‘Life in the Law’), the majority of participants surveyed (69%) had experienced mental ill health in the 12 months before completing the survey. Only 56% of them had talked about this at work, and the most common reasons given for this were the fear of stigma and the resulting career implications, and financial and reputational consequences. Among other things, the study also found that legal professionals were at high risk of burnout, with our juniors (aged between 26 and 35) displaying the highest burnout scores. Having spent a decade in the legal profession, I unfortunately do not find these results particularly surprising. We work in a highly competitive profession, often with heavy workloads, tight deadlines and high expectations from both partners and clients. The above results point to issues which are arguably a reflection of the culture of our industry, and there is without doubt much which needs to be done to address this. But there are also things we can do to alleviate stress and pressure to stay mentally fit. The question we need to ask ourselves is: what can we do to maintain our sense of wellness and inner balance? In my experience as a lawyer, coach and psychotherapist, it is helpful for us to understand and reflect on the following at the outset: 1. How stress works; 2. How to recognise our own personal stress indicators; 3. How mindfulness can help reduce Combatting Stress Legal Profession: Adjusting to the ‘New Normal’ Helen Pamely Partner, Rosling King LLP 55 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JW Tel: +44 (0)20 7246 8046 E: helen.pamely@rkllp.com www.rkllp.com The COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it has sparked have added new pressures to an already stress-prone profession. In this article we hear from Helen Pamely, Partner at Rosling King, coach, wellbeing consultant and psychotherapist on how lawyers can get to grips with their ‘stress signatures’ and overcome them through mindfulness. Helen Pamely is a Partner at Rosling King LLP, a wellbeing consultant, coach and psychotherapist. She is in the process of completing an MA in mindfulness-based psychotherapy. Rosling King is a leading City of London law firm that offers specialist legal expertise to commercial clients, predominantly operating in the finance, real estate, construction and private equity sectors. in the