WELLNESS
it is important for our overall health
and long-term success—personally and
professionally—to unplug and step away.
We need to educate our clients that the
issue is not as immediate as they might
perceive or that we can provide trusted
methods to have some matters handled for
Clients were briefed on his upcoming travel
and provided with the same time line,
deadline, and case status facts as existed in
the office. So while it can be tempting to allow
today’s technology to let us continue to work
(and bill) from the beach, the mountains,
or 37,000 feet in the air, doing so cheats
On a similar-level, we need to arrange our
practice to provide for coverage when it’s
time to tend to our own well-being.
us by those we trust. For those who just
can’t walk away entirely, it’s important to
create boundaries to limit the intrusion of
this demanding profession on our own lives.
N
ot long ago I read about an initiative
within the Bar to require solo
practitioners to have an established,
disclosed successor plan in place. Such a
plan would provide for clients’ needs in
the event of an unforeseen, sudden event.
On a similar level, we need to arrange our
practice to provide for coverage when it’s
time to tend to our own well-being. When
one of my colleagues recently traveled
abroad, each case had a designated go-
to attorney who knew where the file was
located , which paralegal was familiar with
the administrative status of the case, and
what issues and deadlines were approaching.
the lawyer of the time he or she earned and
impacts the lawyers’ health, family, and focus.
If there is no backup at the office who can
handle what may arise, perhaps a different
structure or set of trusted reciprocal
professional relationships might be in order.
Sometimes there is more than one avenue
of “coverage.” As an associate in my early
days of family law, my cell phone rang as I
parked the car at my firm’s office, and one of
the partners’ paralegal asked if I was on-site
and dressed for court. I had to rush to court
to handle a minor matter in his absence.
“What if I hadn’t been available?” I later
asked, and I was told that a respected lawyer
from another firm had agreed to be available.
minutes each day to handle any work
related matters that might arise. It’s
also important to have a
detailed
Out of Office email or updated voice mail
greeting giving notice of your circumstances
and limited availability. Even if an event
is unplanned, the few minutes it takes to
provide an email response explaining your
unavailability can provide an opportunity
for the person on the other side of the
email to understand that yes, the matter
will be addressed, just not immediately.
I suspect I am not alone in finally realizing
that the world will not end if, when on
vacation, you are unable to immediately
respond to every situation. Sure, the
airlines are enhancing their connectivity,
Wi-Fi is improving even when the cruise
ships are at sea, and we can still plug
in, but these are not solutions; these are
symptoms of the same ailment. Hopefully
the strategies I’ve touched on can help
you establish techniques to actually take
vacation, not burn out, and have an
increased sense of satisfaction with our
rewarding but challenging profession.
So, remember:
1) Who’s got your back?
2) Have a plan for the Veruca Salts in
Willy Wonka who just, “Want it NOW!”
3) Taking a break is not a sign of weakness.
4) Set limits.
Another option is to set aside 30
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The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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