Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m F e b r u A r y 2 0 1 5 29 but will be honest with you. If you isolate yourself, you don't have a perspective," says Starzynski, a past president of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada. Balance in the broadest sense is also essential. At work, diversity will help legal professionals avoid the onset of vicarious trauma. "Don't give yourself a steady diet of problems you can't solve," advises Murray. "If you're a Crown attorney that is doing a lot of sexual assaults for four months, you may need to do break and enters for four months." For judges, diversity may be more difficult to come by but it is worth the inquiry. "Talk to the presiding judge or chief judge to remove yourself from the exposure," says Zimmerman. Lawyers and judges can also tip the scales in favour of a healthy mindset by finding some good in a world that can been filled with malevolence. "Other parts of your life need to let you find beauty and hope. You need to do good in some way. This allows you to see a problem and contribute to the solution in a positive way," says Murray. The BLG team, none of whom are suffering from vicarious trauma, found solace in the fact their contribution to the case was pro bono. "That gave us a sense we were doing this for a good cause. We could see how it was helping Mr. Lin," says Gouin. "It makes us feel like we're giving back." In the aftermath of the trial, BLG created a secure web site to collect donations towards The Lin Jun Family Trust to support the three members of the Lin family. "All donations collected will help them rebuild their lives," the firm said in a release, adding that, "In a gesture of solidarity with the members of the Lin family, BLG also encourages donors to send them a message." A little personal pampering is also advisable. "Get away on a holiday," says Starzynski. "Leave your phone at home, your computer. Leave the office behind." And regardless of whether you're in the office, at the beach, or savouring a cuppa joe with a close colleague, find time to physically release the stress of the job. Being active is important. Murray is a competitive figure skater; Gouin does crossfit; Herbert regularly hits the gym. Indeed, given the choice between an extra hour of sleep or an hour in the gym, he picks the latter. "It's how you keep feeling good about what you do in a demanding job," he says. The physical activity doesn't have to be rigorous or expensive, but it does have to be regular. Walking, for example, will take you outside the office and pro- vide a fresh-air perspective to problems. "The minute I started articling, I started exercising," says Baron. "There is noth- ing better for blowing off steam." Therapy is another positive option, even for lawyers and judges who are feeling fine. If your work brings you in close contact with the ugliness of the human condition, this can be an impor- tant preventive measure. "For high-risk lawyers, have a professional counsellor even if you feel okay. You never know when you're not going to feel okay," says Starzynski. Law firms, justice departments, and the judiciary have a role to play as orga- nizations in building supportive cultures for the legal professionals in their ranks. TIME: EVENT: Part-time, Executive LLM program for corporate counsel and practising lawyers For more information, call 416-978-1400 or visit: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs/GPLLM.html SPECIALIZATION IN BUSINESS LAW Classes Starting in September 2015 Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - Ontario Chapter and in partnership with Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. Information Sessions 0DUFK0DUFK0DUFK 12:30-1:30 pm; U of T Faculty of Law, 84 Queen's Park $SULO$SULO 12:30-1:30 pm; U of T Faculty of Law, 655 Spadina Ave. No registration required. Please feel free to drop in anytime during these hours. ntitled-2 1 2015-01-21 1:15 PM

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