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The lawyer could completely disconnect from the office, especially when outside the country. Now they can get virtu- ally everything done away from the office that they can while tied to their desk. This suggests the new generation of lawyers may never know what it is like to experience absolute downtime. Is it just a matter of time before they hit the wall and crash, potentially to the detriment of both their firms and clients? Tuer points out that not too long ago the prevailing wisdom in the pro- fession was that people needed to work smarter, not necessarily harder. He says the overwhelming competitive nature of the profession and economy now forces lawyers to do both, raising the stakes exponentially. "Stress levels are higher today in the practice than they would have been five, 10, 20 years ago, by virtue of the nature of the demands and the fact that it is harder to get away from all of those demands," he says. "Clients know how to find us these days." Many lawyers argue their eternal con- that they're not going to be monitoring or babysitting things while they're away," says Tuer. "The whole objective of the program is to have them be away and devote time to their hobby, their family, whatever." Julie McCarthy, an associate profes- sor of organizational behaviour at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, suggests it's important for law firms to recognize the impor- tance of this type of downtime in their "Just because we're now in a world of instant messaging, doesn't mean we should be giving instant advice." SCOTT JOllIFFE, GOWlINGS nectivity with clients and colleagues is a good thing — they'd rather deal with a brush fire while sitting on a beach in the Caribbean than return to the office to face an out-of-control inferno. But Tuer doesn't buy that, and says most lawyers agree the disappearance of downtime is problematic, both personally and profes- sionally. The solution, he suggests, may be the expanded use of sabbatical pro- grams. Macleod Dixon offers partners a three-month sabbatical for every seven years of practice. The firm helps lawyers completely disengage from their work during that period by covering clients' questions and other ongoing demands that may otherwise keep them tied to the office from afar. "That is the expectation: high-paced profession. Many studies have shown that organizations struggle when workers are unable to refresh their bodies and minds, she says. "If we don't give them the opportunity to recover, then ultimately our workforce is going to be burnt out and less productive," says McCarthy. She suggests firms offering lawyers a more balanced lifestyle operate just as effectively as those that foster a more competitive atmosphere. At the same time, she says certain types of lawyers are innately better able to manage the psychological toll that comes with the non-stop nature of their work. Those with high levels of emotional sta- bility can better cope with the inherent anxiety of this environment. Similarly, lawyers who can efficiently regulate their emotions are also more likely to succeed. This means two lawyers facing the exact same challenges each day could perform at vastly different levels, based simply on their emotional makeup. "One of them may be much more effective, because the way that cognitively they're reacting to these stressors, they're able to disassociate themselves," says McCarthy. That's a phenomenon known as cogni- tive detachment, and the extent to which lawyers can separate themselves from the daily stresses of the job goes a long way to determining how they perform. Another important psychological consideration for a modern lawyer look- ing to succeed involves the level to which one internalizes situations. McCarthy says it's useful to determine whether one possesses an internal or external locus of control. Someone with an internal locus of control is more likely to take responsibility for all of his or her actions, and view events as a direct function of his or her own actions. That type of approach can lead to skyrocketing stress levels, creating self-disdain when prob- lems arise. Conversely, lawyers with an external locus of control are more likely to see how factors outside their control contributed to a defeat. That makes them better able to cope with the high-paced, high-stress environment of modern legal practice. Thankfully, those with an internal locus of control need not despair. "These are behaviours and thought pro- cesses that can be trained, that can be learned," emphasizes McCarthy. Karen MacKay, president of Toronto consultancy Phoenix Legal Inc., agrees a lawyer's personality plays a major role in determining the likelihood of success in a profession where the separation of work life and home life has been shat- tered. Some people are list-makers — very organized and able to start tasks early and get them done on time, she explains. These people typically like to separate their professional and personal lives. "They like structure, and it can be very stressful for them if it's not orga- nized with a to-do list and they know what they're doing tomorrow." At the opposite end of the spectrum — and people can be a blend of both — is a person who views work and play as www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com JAN UARY 2011 35