Category: Wellness

Technology / Wellness

Harmonizing Work-Life Balance and Work-Work Balance

By Lilys McCoy

I recently started using a fountain pen. Why, you may ask? Two reasons: First, I felt I needed to do a digital detox and returning to longhand seemed like a good way to start. Second, my writing hand, previously hardened by years of cursive script on legal pads, spiral notebooks and paper calendars, had become weak, and fountain pens are apparently easier on the muscles (that bit of wisdom was spot on, in case you wondered). I was almost surprised to see that the descendant of the quill is still being sold and supported, but it is . . . and in many different forms and by many different manufacturers.

As I contemplated my digital detox, I also considered the hard reality that I could never really, truly unplug. Absent a decision to live completely off the grid, I must accept some connectivity in my life. And, as an attorney, I must not only accept the networked life, I must embrace it. Our ethical duties require us to do so. Notably, the American Bar Association amended ABA Model Rule 1.1 in 2012 to include technological competence: “To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice including the benefits and risks associated with technology . . .” See, 2012 Amendment to ABA Model Rule 1.1 Competence, Comment 6, Maintaining Competence as referenced in SDCBA Legal Ethics Opinion 2012-1.

The San Diego County Bar Association, long a leader in the legal ethics space, decided in 2017 to lead in the legal technology space as well. In 2018 we hired one of the first Bar Association Member Technology Officers in the nation — the incomparable Adriana Linares — and launched expert law+tech education. This edition of San Diego Lawyer is dedicated, in part, to helping members become more technologically savvy. But technical competence must not be at the expense of other competencies. And, while indispensable and unavoidable, technology should be in service of what we do as lawyers, not the essence of what we do. Read More

Wellness

Moving Beyond Burnout

By Marta Manus

Life has a funny way of giving us exactly what we need practice in. Nearly nine years into my career as a class action attorney, I burned out big time. Years of living in a constant state of stress reaction mode in a toxic work environment led to multiple ER visits, a prescription for anxiety meds, chronic headaches, and constant muscle pain in my neck and shoulders. Ordinary tasks that used to take me a few hours began taking much longer and I found it increasingly difficult to focus on anything work-related. I was disengaged, disillusioned and dissatisfied. I wasn’t simply having a few bad days, this was serious burnout, and while I knew that something needed to change, I didn’t quite know how or what. Read More

Wellness

Dealing with the Grind

By Kevin Hambly

So you studied diligently for the bar, passed, and now you are a new lawyer.  Now, you find yourself experiencing more anxiety and stress in the practice of law.  From a fellow new lawyer to another, here are a few of tips for managing stress.  While these tips are not exhaustive (as simple things like adequate sleep, eating, and proper exercise can also help), hopefully these tips will give you some insight on how at least one lawyer, me, manages stress. Read More