The legal profession has undergone significant changes over the past 30 years, bringing with it new pressures and challenges. Today, lawyers face increased demands for profitability, higher client expectations, and less deference from those clients. These factors have transformed the way legal work is performed and how stress is managed in the profession.

Common Stressors for Lawyers

At Calm People, we work closely with lawyers across various levels, providing insights and strategies to help firms build emotionally resilient teams. Through our interactions, we’ve identified several common stressors that many lawyers experience:

• High targets: Six to eight billable hours per day
• Client pressure: Immediate demands for non-urgent work
• Work volume: Excessive workload with insufficient support
• Interruptions: Constant emails, phone calls, and colleague interactions
• Feeling undervalued or unappreciated
• Lack of control over work distribution
• Unfair reward structures
• Rudeness from other lawyers, judges, or court staff

In many city law firms, a competitive environment among junior members striving for partner positions further exacerbates these stressors, pushing the limits of human endurance and embedding a culture of high pressure.

Developing Emotional Resilience

Given these challenges, the need for emotional resilience has never been more critical. At Calm People, we emphasize a model of emotional resilience based on the principles outlined by Daniel Goleman in his work on emotional intelligence. Key areas of focus include:

1. Awareness

Understanding and identifying your emotions at any given moment is crucial. This awareness allows you to differentiate between emotions, such as recognizing when anger is masking fear or sadness.

2. Optimism

Developing the ability to find positive aspects in various situations is essential. True optimism involves practical steps and plans rather than unrealistic hopes.

3. Perseverance

Maintaining a “never give up” attitude is vital. Resilience involves enduring setbacks and continuing to strive forward despite obstacles.

4. Perspective

Viewing challenges as opportunities and taking responsibility for your decisions rather than adopting a victim mentality helps build resilience.

5. Inner Control

Effective self-regulation involves articulating and managing your emotions healthily. It’s about acknowledging your choices and taking responsibility for them without suppression or over-sharing.

Managing Stress: The Five Pillars

To further develop inner control, consider examining your relationship with stress through the Five Pillars of Stress. Reflect on which of these areas brings the most stress into your life:

• The need for approval from others
• Not prioritizing yourself
• Putting excessive pressure on yourself
• Difficulty letting go of control
• Lack of trust in others or yourself

Once you’ve identified a key stressor, think about one small change you can make to improve that area. Then, take action.

The Warrior Mindset

Emotional resilience is akin to the qualities of a warrior. The skills and education we acquire through experience and training fortify the shield we carry into our professional battles. However, it’s crucial to care for ourselves, the bearers of these shields, to avoid burnout and ensure we can continue to perform at our best.

In conclusion, emotional resilience can be defined as: “The ability to handle everything life throws at you and still find joy.” By focusing on awareness, optimism, perseverance, perspective, and inner control, lawyers can build the resilience needed to thrive in today’s demanding legal landscape.