Law Firms Should Follow Army’s Lead, Try Resilience Training, Psych Expert Says
Large law firms would be well-advised take the lead from the Army, which is training its recruits in resilience skills, according to a lawyer who teaches positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Writing at the Careerist blog, lawyer and professor Dan Bowling says the Army’s efforts should get lawyers’ attention, since they suffer from mental and emotional disorders at a higher rate than other professionals. “It is time for BigLaw to incorporate training based on these principles into its associate orientation programs, or for interested individuals to pursue it on their own,” writes Bowling, who is also a senior lecturing fellow at Duke Law School.
Bowling says the Army program teaches these techniques, which could be useful to lawyers:
• Play to your strengths. If you are known for meticulous attention to detail and long hours, for example, BigLaw is for you.
• Recognize emotions in yourself and those around you. It could be helpful when you get a lecture on billable hours.
• Fight the urge to apply pessimistic thinking to every situation.
• Become more self-aware. Many lawyers are trained to please others, but they should also know how to lead themselves.
