Published on:
15 Mar 2023
2
min read
On sustainability in legal practice: some reflections, for law students and young practitioners.
NUS Faculty of Law runs the Law Alumni Mentor Programme (LAMP), which connects law students with alumni lawyers. I was invited to speak at a LAMP event that took place last Friday, but was gutted when I had to pull out due to a schedule clash.
Having already considered the topic, I thought it would be a waste not to pen down some thoughts.
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So how does one practice sustainably?
I'm not sure how to answer that question, actually.
As to why: read the footnotes, which are integral to this post.¹
But I'll try to answer anyway.
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3 considerations.
1) Recognise that you are not defined by your job.
When I first started out, I unconsciously based my value and self-worth on (a) working on exciting and high-stakes matters; (b) developing skills faster than my peers; and (c) billing more hours than expected.
Don't make the same mistake.
Look, these things matter for career progression. But if this is all you chase, to the exclusion of all else, you're likely to burn out sooner rather than later. Because that's a hamster wheel that never stops, that only gets bigger and bigger.
As to what you should be defined by - that's for you to figure out.
But if all you are chasing after is more briefs, more clients, more billings, but with no definition as to what would be enough... That's not very sustainable, is it?
2) Build and maintain relationships.
When I first started out, I was so immersed in work that I didn't have the time and energy for my relationships.
I was lucky. Many friends, and most importantly, my then-girlfriend-now-wife, stuck by me. Some years later, when I finally stopped feeling like I was drowning all the time, and was able to look around me, they were still there for me.
Don't be so buried in work, that one day, you find that you have nobody to have coffee or a pint with, to commiserate with over unpleasant counterparts, or to have a laugh about a witness' unexpected answer during cross-examination.²
And if you are in a workplace that wrings every last drop out of you, and leaves you with no time and energy for anything at all outside of work, let alone maintain relationships... That's not very sustainable, is it?
3) Have fun.
I am not saying that we must be excited and passionate about every single aspect of our jobs and enjoy every minute at work. That's simply not possible.³
But I am saying that we should identify aspects of our jobs that we enjoy, that we find fun.⁴
And I suggest that practice is much more sustainable if the aspects that we find fun outnumber and outweigh the not-so-fun bits.
I can't, and won't, tell you what to find your fun in. Figure that out on your own.
But if you can't extract an iota of fun out of your day-to-day work... That's not very sustainable, is it?
Disclaimer:
The content of this article is intended for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
¹ First, it would be amazingly arrogant to hold myself out as some kind of paragon of sustainable practice. At best, there are moments where I think I'm doing ok. But this is hardly a sentiment that permeates every moment of my waking life - most days, balancing practice and family is an exhausting juggling act.
Second, I've only been in legal practice for about a decade and a half. If you're a law student, you're probably thinking that this sounds like a long time. And it is! But consider the big picture: I've not even hit the halfway mark of my career (assuming I practice into my early 60s, as is common in the profession). What authority do I have to opine on what it takes to go the distance, when I still have such a long way to go?
Third, everyone's journey and circumstances differ. I've never had to struggle with student debt or major health issues. Who am I to smugly say "well, this is what works", when I have been the beneficiary of privilege and support structures that may not be available to all?
² And if you have nobody to give you work, it's not going to be easy to sustain a self-sufficient legal practice.
³ That being said, if you think this describes you, let's have coffee - but in a public, well-lighted place, with designated routes for escaping from psychopaths.
⁴ For example, some enjoy the thrust and parry of arguing contested hearings. Others enjoy meeting with clients and guiding them out of what initially appeared to be an intractable problem. Yet others find joy and meaning in a creating a carefully-drafted piece of persuasive writing.
