The legal profession is known for its stress-inducing environment: demanding hours, high caseloads, tight deadlines and its adversarial nature. Add in client expectations, the culture of overwork and the personality of most lawyers, and exhaustion and burnout can result. Where does this leave us in our ethical duties to our clients when exhaustion is part of our everyday? How do we prevent it from setting in at the first instance?  

This seminar will explore key factors contributing to stress, anxiety, and burnout, focusing on the many ways in which weak boundaries  and poor communication are key contributors. We will answer such questions as what is burnout, how do weak boundaries contribute to burnout, and what are our ethical obligations to our clients most often compromised on the way to burnout. Additionally, lawyers will learn the importance of boundary setting in client relationships, relationships with colleagues and co-counsel, and in the sometimes stress-inducing relationship with opposing counsel. We will also discuss how to work with the court to set boundaries that will preserve our mental health, without prejudicing our client’s position. The applicable ethical rules will be discussed and applied. 

Finally, the presentation will provide strategies and guidance for attorneys and firms/offices to better equip themselves to handle professional and personal stressors and will provide information about pertinent resources, including Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers , EAPs and other supports available to assist attorneys and their staff with these complicated issues