Law is a profession like no other. What makes it so different?

Three grueling years of law school--and passing the bar--to enter a profession that’s increasingly competitive and impersonal due to out-sourcing, specialization and mega-firm consolidation. This sets the stage for isolation, dissatisfaction and burnout.

Life in Law works exclusively with lawyers. It helps lawyers put life back into their work by balancing a fulfilling personal life with a rewarding career.

The Life vs. Law Trap

The consuming nature of modern practice has made law a treadmill. Technology has erased the line between home and office and competitive pressures take a high toll on lawyers at all stages of their careers. The result is a life out of balance, in which no aspect is satisfying.

Do these situations sound familiar?

You’re climbing the ladder, with no end in sight. You’re on track at your firm, or you’ve taken the plunge and started your own practice. Instead of reveling in your new status you feel like you’re at the bottom again. You dictate memos and return calls on your drive to work. Your desk piles higher and higher. You can’t remember why you went to law school. You wonder if you’re chasing an impossible dream….

You’re successful, but at a high cost. You can’t remember the last quiet dinner with your spouse or your child’s last soccer game. You bring a bulging briefcase home and stay up till 1 a.m. so you can take time off for a vacation—to which you bring your BlackBerry. Your clients say you’re indispensable. You’re at the top of your game, but by now you thought you’d have more freedom. Or at least time to enjoy what you’ve earned….

Your entire identity is wrapped up in being a lawyer. You love law’s intellectual challenge and serving clients. You’re on three boards where legal advice comes in handy. You started a book group and quit because you didn’t have time to read one novel a month. All of your friends are lawyers. Even your clients tell you to “get a life”! You could cut back, but who will you be then….

The Law Firm Trap

The hierarchical structure of most law firms creates additional pressures. In the Law Firm Trap, there are more associates than partnership slots, the criteria for partnership are murky and ever-changing, and associates can no longer bet on being admitted to the club. Whether attrition is economically desirable or not, turnover disrupts continuity in service, costs clients their investment in valued associates, and exacts an emotional toll on lawyers at all levels.

Two factors ratchet up the stress:

Generational Friction. For starters, there is a generational component.

Baby Boomers, who are most likely to occupy management positions, are idealists raised on the concept of meritocracy and steeped in a strong work ethic. They think you can have it all – climb the ladder and make a difference, blend family life with a high-stakes career – if you just work harder . Gen X and Y associates are unsure that’s realistic.

The result is a clash between managing partners and younger associates who don’t want what their boomer bosses have. The bottom line is inability to communicate and failure of expectations.

Lack of Mentoring. Mentoring is a disappearing art and associate attrition a fact of life. These phenomena are related.

In addition to the vicious cycle of turnover and reduced return on firm and client investment, lack of mentoring reduces morale, loyalty and commitment to your firm.

Forty-three percent of associates leave their firms by their third year, and by year five the number has jumped to 66%. Because associates leave early, there is less incentive to mentor them. Associates who aren’t mentored are less competent and confident, less able to produce, and more likely to leave.

Mentoring is also fundamental to defining and sustaining a firm’s culture: it’s how values and traditions are transmitted.

Associates face increasing pressure to stand out from the pack, yet have fewer tools than ever for doing so. Boomer management and Gen X and Y clash over values and expectations. For senior partners, “up or out” becomes “up and out”.

Do you recognize any of these?

You’re a self-starter who’s starting to flounder. Your first three years were a breeze but expectations are changing. You can no longer afford time written off. More billable hours on increasingly challenging work are required. You’ve never been mentored and now there’s less supervision. You’re being assessed for leadership and rainmaking, and suddenly you’re over your head. Your marketability is at a peak and the prospects of partnership are dwindling….

You like your work but don’t want what the partners have. You’re on track for partnership, you’re considered a “keeper”. But down the road you see more of the same. You respect the partners and their high level of practice, but you also see them as workaholics in a culture that rewards billable hours. You care more about balancing work with a satisfying life. You’d like to stay, but don’t see how….

You’re a managing partner who’s baffled by the new breed of associate. They’ve got the smarts but lack fire in the belly. Sure, they get less mentoring, but if they need hand-holding maybe they’re in the wrong profession. And with attrition as high as it is, who can afford the time? Why can’t they get with the program? Don’t they realize they’re the future of our firm?

You’re a senior partner on the slide. Talented lawyers are moving up and the partners need points to distribute. You built the firm, brought clients in the door, suffered through thick and thin. You’ve got good years left but you’re being pushed out. What now? You’ve always wanted more free time, but what will you do with it? Can you still leverage your wisdom and expertise? How do you avoid being of no use?

No matter where you fit within a law firm, you are likely feeling these pressures. Is there hope? Or, more specifically, can you really live your life in harmony with the pressures of your legal career?

The Answer: Yes

You can have life and law.

It is possible to rebalance life and work for greater service and fulfillment at any stage of the game. It all starts by deciding what you value and want, then developing action plans to guide you, and finally getting the support that makes change possible.

Who is most likely to succeed using the program?

Life in Law is most effective for lawyers who share the following characteristics:

• Willingness to accept assistance and challenge your assumptions
• Commitment to high standards of performance
• Interest in rendering better service to clients
• Dedication to reaching your full potential as a lawyer
• Courage to invest in yourself

If you fit that profile you can be successful by taking part in the program. Next, learn more about how Life in Law works to help you balance a rewarding practice with a fulfilling personal life.