What about legal work is currently causing your mental health struggles?

Mine’s the hours, which is not normally my issue. I billed 230 for June and July and am already at 145 for August. My ability to focus is getting worse by the day, so I’m working longer to bill the same hours and have had to pull a couple all nighters. I burst into tears this morning when a client changed plans and now wants a major project by end of month, on top of my other deadlines next week... I just want to sleep.

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For me it’s been the lack of hours and worries about job security, especially since I recently purchased a home. It’s been mostly outside of my control (I’ve regularly asked for work, tried to take on pro bono, etc) but I’ve had enough slow months that I’m not going to be close to hitting my hours. Things are picking back up so at least I’ll hopefully have a respectable number, but the uncertainty has made my anxiety skyrocket.

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I have this concern as well (6 months pregnant with my first child, already received a huge pay cut and my husband has also received a pay cut). It’s weird because one month I feel like I’m drowning in work and the next month I’m barely billing anything. It always seems like the firm owner thinks it’s everyone’s lack of effort and doesn’t seem to understand that we are in a recession and we just don’t have the business.

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Clients who don’t call me back or coordinate with our office, which makes us continually run up against deadlines.

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Also lack of competent assistants/paralegals. We just hired a new paralegal who seems to be doing well so I hope she sticks around.

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The immense amount of unbillable work lately does not help—whether it’s keeping up with the latest orders/specific court procedures or unnecessary firm virtual events. The former is, understandably, necessary, but I feel like I’ve had a burst in unbillable work lately.

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Hi friends! Is this bowl still alive?

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question of the day: why did you join this bowl? Since I asked, I will start: I’ve been on a journey of recovery from legal-overachiever-workaholism. Changed jobs, city and environment and still working hard to recover from burnout that is, unfortunately, part and parcel of the legal profession.

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