Law is widely acknowledged as one of the most demanding and challenging careers to gain and maintain a healthy work/life balance. Whilst it’s doubtful that choosing to work as a lawyer will result in a nine-to-five job with no out-of-hours commitment, in order to remain on top of your game and fit for practice it is essential that those in the legal profession learn to find that balance.
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It’s lunchtime – what does that mean? – at the laptop clearing urgent e-mails, phone on your shoulder taking that urgent call, colleague at your door with a query, sandwich in other hand awaiting the second bite… familiar scene?
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3.00 am call out-finish at 6 00 am- dash for a quick shower – race to office for files then to court for urgent application-when will you see your desk again….with all that urgent work to be done…familiar scene?
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Just arrived home…relax…phone rings…we must complete that share forecast by the morning….there goes that dinner date….take-away pizza with flowcharts and projections, burning the midnight oil… familiar scene?
The legal market is fiercely competitive and fast paced, often with quick changing regulations and standards to meet. Unsurprisingly, this can create a belief that not only should you be available whenever your firm and client desire but also remain up-to-date in a rapidly changing environment – often impacting on life and health outside of work.
The global finance crisis forced the commercial side of the profession to modernise in order to stay pertinent. High street practice has had to change to face ever- increasing competition from several quarters. As a result more and more firms are adopting new trends in how they operate.
It is no secret that lawyers are renowned for being workaholics. Therefore, with close to half of 18-24 year old’s citing a good work-life balance as their main career goal and 48% of lawyers saying that work is affecting their personal life, it is safe to say that sustaining a happy work/life balance is now more important than ever before. If achieved you can work more efficiently whilst retaining the work/life balance desired.
Although taking the time to improve your work/home balance yourself is a step in the right direction, the real progress begins inside the office. Quite often, if you are able to conquer that first, your happiness inside and outside of the office will grow, your productivity will increase and your work/life balance will improve. Managing your work and time more efficiently when you are at your desk can have a huge impact on how balanced and happy you feel at the end of the day.
Performing at consistently high levels of productivity requires learning how to effectively plan and manage your day. Put simply, time management is key to finding the time to do all the things you need to do. Learning how to balance all your commitments is hard, but doing so can make life easier, less stressful, and more meaningful. Here at Altior we help you find the key.
Balance for a legal expert might seem like a pipe dream, but you need to know who and what resources are out there to help. We understand and recognise there is a demand for this type of training. We want every lawyer to feel as if they can enter a work day confident that they can handle the pressures that come with a typical day, identifying what methods and skills are needed to manage themselves, their time and therefore their happiness.
For more information on our Time and Stress Management course, please call us on 02920 451000 or email us on infoaltior@barbri.com.
This course is presented in a practical and participate style designed to ensure that you can perform at consistently high levels of productivity and effectiveness. It achieves this by exploring personal responsibility in time management, equipping you with a range of tools and exercises that you can easily implement in your own workplace. By using some of the techniques in this course you will also start to eliminate the stress factors that interfere with an efficient working environment.
You will learn how to diagnose the challenges you face; design personal breakthrough plans and strategies to tackle limitations that habitual patterns of self- and time-management impose. As a result, you will feel better equipped to meet your developmental and fee earning objectives, ensuring radically improved output, greater effectiveness and happiness.
You will improve time management; increase efficiency, output and profitability. As a result, you will also be better equipped to manage your work/life balance.