Overcoming the Impact of Chronic Stress: How to Successfully Maintain Your Competence and Your Legal Practice

The American Bar Association Model Rule 1.1 states that lawyers must act competently by being skilled and knowledgeable in the area of relevant law before taking on a case. Every lawyer knows this rule and most lawyers are careful about the subject matter of a case and take cases only within their area of expertise. But is this enough to be competent?

This unusual presentation explores the question: When does brain function interfere with an attorney's ability to be competent?

While many attorneys are winning battles in the courtroom, they are losing battles in their lives. They are often overworked, unappreciated, and unhappy. In fact, attorneys are almost four times more likely to suffer from depression than people working in other fields. The suicide rate is so alarming that several State Bar Associations are working on combating the crises in the industry. How did it get so bad? And are you at risk? Is your partner or an associate at risk?

Find out how brain science reveals that you are under more stress than you realize and why these mild stressors from a multitude of sources are affecting your health and reducing your ability to think and exercise skillfulness even in your own practice area. After this course, you will have an understanding about what stress is, how it impacts your life both personally and in your law practice. You will also have ways to reduce and eliminate stressors so that you will not only be a more competent lawyer, but a more successful and happier one too.

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine the brain science of stress and its impact on our physiology

2. Explore the long term effect of chronic stress on attorneys

3. Identify the multiple environments in an attorney's everyday life that produce stress

4. Develop practical strategies to manage, reduce, and eliminate stress in your life and law practice