There is a delicate line between working at top capacity and burning out completely and unfortunately, striking that balance can be challenging for solicitors.
The long hours, pressure and stress-driven nature of the job can be overwhelming and means burnout remains a persistent issue for law firms of all sizes.
This high risk is a real cause for concern for solicitors, but we’ve broken down what you can do to alleviate that risk and more importantly, support your team.
What issues drive burnout for solicitors?
Burnout is a difficult challenge for solicitors and it’s something that many have experienced in their career with 92 per cent saying they have suffered burnout in their career.
Solicitors work within a centralised, pressured environment driven by a desire to get the job done.
The role is demanding, the hours are excessive and pressure from clients can be relentless, which heightens the risk of burnout, but there is a determination to strike that right work-life balance.
We discovered this ourselves in our research, with 50 per cent of solicitors saying they would prioritise quality time with their family if they had the time to do so.
The reality is that it can be very hard to find that balance because the role is demanding and this is no doubt impacting the newer generation of solicitors.
Our research has found that younger solicitors are prioritising work-life balance, mental health support and a firm’s culture when choosing where to work.
As well as the demands of the role, another factor that is impacting solicitor burnout is the ability to streamline their work.
As the workload increases, it can get overwhelming very quickly, significantly impacting firm productivity and as the legal sector continues to develop through innovative technology, only 53 per cent of firms in our research have so far integrated AI within their firm.
There is still a hesitation from firms, which stems from the costs, training and compliance concerns but it means those firms are having to manually handle their work which increases the pressure further because there is no margin for error.
How can you reduce the risks of burnout?
Burnout is always very hard to prevent but you can put measures in place to help yourself and your colleagues from getting to that point.
This includes reviewing your firm's policies and putting proactive measures to ease those risks. You can look at implementing structured wellness programmes and setting boundaries for after-hours work.
There is also the support legal technology can provide and at Smokeball, we see on a day-to-day basis the hard work and long hours solicitors put into their craft and we want to support them so burnout doesn’t become a prominent issue.
Streamlining your tasks, like organising your documents and billing measures, can help reduce the pressure on your shoulders and allow you to concentrate on the essential job at hand.
Having clearly defined policies alongside a much more streamlined and efficient workflow will help you keep and attract top talent to your firm, as it shows you are embracing the technology age while supporting their personal needs.
Smokeball allows you to streamline the tedious tasks automatically, significantly reducing your workload and more importantly, freeing up more time for you and your team.
Our innovative legal practice management platform also gives you the tools to access everything you need and focus on working with your clients and ease any stress.
Don’t let burnout take hold of your firm, you can support yourself and your team so they can find the right balance between work and family life.
If you want to ease the risks of burnout, book a demo to see our platform in action.
