Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50905
BY STEVE PARR STUDENT'S PAGE Mentally preparing for the future UVic student sets stage for healthy work-life balance. W hy are you studying or practis- ing law? What are your values? According to extensive U.S. and Australian research, many law students and lawyers are increasingly unable to answers these questions. Th e same studies also argue this gap in self- knowledge substantially contributes to the poor mental health that lawyers fre- quently experience. As a fresh-eyed law student, I was surprised by the studies, and sought out two experienced B.C. lawyers to make sense of the fi ndings. Derek LaCroix has served as the exec- utive director of the Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia since 1996. Th rough LAP, LaCroix has assisted hun- dreds of lawyers struggling with mood disorders. I spoke with him about the challenges law students and lawyers face. Th e statistics he shares are grim. Law- yers experience the highest incidence of depression among 104 occupational groups. Similar studies have documented levels of alcohol, drug abuse, and suicide rates at 300 per cent higher than the lev- els seen in the general population. Th e studies show many of these prob- lems begin in law school. Factors include excessive workloads, competition for academic superiority, a lack of clear feed- back, and a dominant emphasis on lin- ear thought. Students reported that law school engenders a loss of connection with feelings, values, and a sense of self. For LaCroix, these fi ndings are consis- tent with what he encounters with clients. He reports most of his lawyer clients have lost touch with their values and do not know why they are practising law. Law students, he believes, are at risk of sup- planting internal values such as altruism with external motivations like money and competition. He also notes that many lawyers suff er a lack of confi dence, which can lead to a narrowed sense of possibili- ties: "Lawyers are very smart people . . . and many have forgotten that fact." LaCroix remains optimistic about the profession. In fact, he notes that for his clients an important facet of their recov- ery is establishing personal connections with other lawyers. To that eff ect, he runs several support groups in Vancou- ver and Victoria. "I want to help lawyers be intrinsically motivated and make the world a better place," he says. Catherine Sas has served on the Ca- nadian Bar Association work life bal- ance section for four years. Sas notes the stigma associated with mood disorders is exacerbated for lawyers: "Lawyers are supposed to be able to solve problems — how can clients expect us to solve their problems if we can't solve our own?" Sas theorizes this need to maintain a front of perfection prevents lawyers from ac- knowledging their own fallibility. For Sas, while the time crunch of the BlackBerry era is unlikely to subside, lawyers and students can take everyday actions to support their well-being, from bringing real food to the offi ce, taking walks outdoors, incorporating regular exercise, and getting enough sleep. For students and young lawyers she coun- sels: "Be kind to yourself. Make a sup- port system for yourself to allow you to be the best you can be." Th e picture painted by the statistics and these two professionals is indeed bleak. Personally, however, I have found law 42 F A L L 2010 C ANADIAN Lawy er 4STUDENTS school to be highly rewarding. I feel more socially and politically engaged than ever. My fellow students are kind, collabora- tive, and want to make a diff erence. Uni- versity of Victoria law has proven a fertile ground for undertaking projects and es- tablishing strong relationships. Nonethe- less, the ongoing stress, heſt y workload, emphasis on linear thought, and student competition remain strong undercur- rents at my school. Ironically, I credit my enjoyment of law school to my own experiences with mood disorders. Learning to un- derstand my internal motivations has provided me with a compass to navi- gate law school and my nascent career. Th is has not come about by chance, but rather continual refl ection on who I am and what I want. I am concerned that these kinds of refl ective undertakings are poorly supported at law school and within the legal profession. It is precisely at law school and the initial years of practice when such re- fl ection is essential. Law students make signifi cant decisions about their profes- sional paths within months of entering fi rst year. As members of the legal com- munity, we can support the pursuit of self-knowledge to guard against mood disorders and equip ourselves for suc- cessful careers and fulfi lling lives. ■ Steve Parr is a second-year law student at the University of Victoria and serves as the health & wellness representative with his law student society. You can fi nd out more about LAP at lapbc.com. CBA resources on work-life bal- ance are available at cba.org/bc/practice_ resources/work_life/default.aspx.