We have all heard by now that job-related stress is common within the legal profession. An individual’s stress-load, however, is rarely static. It ebbs and flows as work demands come and go. Take trial, for example. Work-related stress often increases for attorneys sharply during trial. This raises questions – and perhaps an opportunity. What do attorneys do at trial to mitigate increases in short-term stress? Could those practices help attorneys elsewhere in the profession? And, if so, how?
Because May was mental health awareness month and begins with Well-Being Week in Law, it was only natural that the subject would be on my mind while at trial this past May, having been involved first-hand in efforts to promote well-being in the profession over the last several years. I decided to lean into it and conduct some informal “field research” on stress management. The plan? Observe and gather information about how people at trial adjust to stress and deal with unavoidable, unexpected ups-and-downs. The result? It appears the trial setting inherently provides certain stress management strategies, described below, that all attorneys might consider using.
