Ease Stress with Efficient Working Practices in the Law Office
Lawyers under Pressure
The constraints of current resourcing in both public and independent sectors of legal work are putting pressure on lawyers attempting to deliver good quality services to their clients, whose needs are always expanding . Stress generated malady is escalating amongst lawyers as they attempt to match mounting requests for profitable outcomes at work with home life. The well documented alcohol abuse problem amongst legal experts is now joined by drug addiction as coping mechanisms for an increasing number of stressed attorneys and legal professionals.
The Times reported increased stress amongst lawyers in October 2008, saying:
“Alcohol Concern has also showed that the death rate from liver cirrhosis among lawyers is double the national average. The average age of callers to LawCare is dropping, with a sharp increase in calls from trainees with drink problems. “
Vanessa Lloyd Pratt wrote in the Times on July 30 2009
“It is little wonder to me that the levels of alcoholism and addiction among lawyers has climbed steadily over the past few years with helplines jammed with distressed lawyers, particularly women. While women in other professions may face similar difficulties, what is unique to the legal profession is the intense costs targets that involve long working hours and competitive strategies. We have all seen films that emphasise those pressures such as The Firm. These targets are not just the stuff of fiction but are a reality — particularly during the recession in which some of the biggest legal firms in the world have collapsed and senior management have been ousted. It is little wonder that the buzzword around legal offices is “fear”.”
Employer Response
It is becoming imperative that council departments and solicitors’ practices do everything in their power to reduce the results of stress on their legal professionals, even if it is only for the benefit of their organization. Once individuals are addicted to drugs or alcohol, it is very difficult for employing bodies to help their staff and usually results in loss of job for the lawyer concerned and may cause the employer loss of earnings and reputation. From drink and drugs policy implementation, to meditation to home working to on site gyms, forward thinking councils and firms are beginning to offer stress reducing programs and flexibility. Technology can also be part of the answer. Care needs to be taken when developing new systems that more pressure is not added to an already over stretched workforce. Some employers are investigating case management software to ease workload on staff.
Case Management Systems Aid Lawyers
Sourcing legal case management software that delivers diligent legal teams from background activities in order to focus on client needs is of increasing significance to legal experts in both public and private sectors. No legal team can concentrate effectively on clients if they are rushing between cases and attempting to find case details, producing documents etc in an inefficient manner as well as managing outside commitments. The tendency for key dates to slip by unawares or of dropping the ball in some case or matter rises with the problems associated with handling the ever increasing document trail born of email, sms and snail mail.
Case management software is not all the same. Much of it started from legal accounts software and therefore does not meet lawyers’ needs as IT rapidly progresses. New advances have resulted in case management software that records time allocated to clients, speeds up document generation, upcoming dates and appointments are flagged and also promotes collaborative working and generates management reports with ease to mitigate risk. Some case management systems even help with Lexcel compliance. This is the type of legal case management software that may enable a reduction in stress amongst solicitors and litigators.
When drawing up your drug and drink policy or considering health and safety in the work place, do not omit considering stress and the place of your working practices and IT in reducing its frequency.