Therapist: Find a 'Calm Center' at Work Who Creates a Mood Conducive to Getting the Job Done
It isn’t just legal skills that get the job done with a minimum of chaos. Especially in a crisis situation—i.e., routinely, for those who practice law in many settings—staying calm can be the key to a successful resolution, writes a former BigLaw associate who now works as a therapist.
And the individuals who are critical to creating tranquility aren’t necessarily the most experienced practitioners or even lawyers, says Will Meyerhofer in a People’s Therapist column.
At one point, with only two weeks’ experience as an associate, Meyerhofer served in this role for a BigLaw partner who was having a meltdown on the night before a big deal. And he himself found “calm centers” he needed in a gym trainer and a paralegal at the firm.
Those struggling to deal with the stress of practice crave a calm center to help them dial down in the midst of the constant crisis atmosphere in which they work with only minimal vacations and other respite, Meyerhofer writes.
Hence, he suggests that those still in practice should, as he did, “find a calm center. It might preserve your sanity, too.”
Hat tip: Above the Law.
