The Perilous Pursuit: How Overwork Imperils Lawyers’ Careers and Bar Licenses
The legal profession demands a lot of lawyers. But what happens when you’re spread so thin that you make a mistake? It’s not an exaggeration to say that your entire career and future could be affected. In my latest podcast episode, I talk with Hilary Gerzhoy, Vice Chair of HWG’s Legal Ethics and Malpractice Group, about the direct connection between overwork and bar disciplinary proceedings. We explore topics including: How bar disciplinary proceedings arise for good lawyers who are overstretched; What lawyers who have gone through bar disciplinary proceedings say they would have done differently regarding setting boundaries when overstretched at work; Who bears the risk of being overstretched; The most important thing that lawyers can do to avoid working past their limit; The warning signs and signals that often precede making mistakes; What NOT to do when you’re overworked; How family commitments can particularly make lawyers vulnerable to being overstretched; and How to prioritize your to-do list to avoid making a career-altering or career-ending mistake. If you’re a practicing lawyer, you’re going to want to hear this episode! Full show notes are available here: https://happylawmom.com/perilous-pursuit/
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Getting Happy At Work (Part 1): Are You In The Right Role?
Are you in the right role at work? In this episode, I take a deep dive into a huge source of unhappiness for lawyers (and lawyer parents especially): role mismatches! Learn about the different types of role mismatches - and how to know if you have one - as well as the steps for correcting a role mismatch. Spoiler alert: you don't always have to find a new job to correct a role mismatch! If you're feeling stuck, stagnated, or unhappy at work, you don't want to miss this episode!
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BONUS EPISODE: Is Wellbeing Part of a Lawyer's Professional Responsibility?
The legal profession is notorious for hard work and long hours, often at the expense of lawyers' wellbeing. But is this really serving the best interests of our clients? In this episode, you'll hear from a thought leader at the forefront of the Lawyer Wellbeing movement, who holds that wellbeing is not just a "nice-to-have," but is a critical part of a lawyer's ethical duties to clients. Dean David Jaffe of American University Washington College of Law joined Charise for this episode to discuss how the Lawyer Wellbeing movement is changing the way lawyers work and what the future holds with regard to wellbeing and the legal profession. Whether you’re a practicing lawyer trying to manage your own wellbeing or whether you manage or employ other lawyers, or both, you'll find this episode relevant and useful to the continued health of your practice and the people in that practice. For more information and resources in the show notes, go to: https://happylawmom.com/bonus-wellbeing/
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Anxious Lawyering: What It Is & How To Fix It
Are you anxious while lawyering? Whether you’re a first-year associate or a senior attorney, anxious lawyering might be making your professional life much harder than needed. Unfortunately, it’s the default mode for many lawyers and a major contributing factor to unhappiness and burnout in the legal profession. In this episode, we’ll look at what anxious lawyering looks like and the effects it can have on your practice. Then, I’ll share the four most common causes of anxious lawyering in Lawyer Moms, and - most importantly - how to fix it! For a full transcript and show notes, go to: https://happylawmom.com/anxious-lawyering/
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Family Equality Part 5: How to Take Care of Your Family - and Yourself - at the Same Time
Moms often have a very hard time spending money on what they need because they’re so busy taking care of their families. Isn’t putting everyone else first and yourself last just part of being a mom? Actually, it isn’t. Because there’s a way to get what you want AND take care of your family so that everyone wins. In this episode, we’ll look at one of the biggest obstacles to happiness for professionals who are also moms, which is financial inequality. We’re looking at what it is, how it shows up, its deleterious effects, and how to cure it. You’ll learn the skill that dissolves it, so you can be generous to your family AND get what you need and want, so you can enjoy your life and career to the fullest. For a full transcript and show notes, go to https://happylawmom.com/podcast7/
Welcome to THE HAPPY LAWYER MOM PODCAST, a podcast that takes lawyer moms from beyond stressed and barely hanging on to finally getting what they want at work and at home, so that you can be TRULY happy.
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