“Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven't paid the price to decide what is really important to them.”
                         — Stephen Covey


“Everyone knows when a leader is out of balance. People hesitate in the presence of an unbalanced leader. People follow a leader in balance.”
                         — John Hetterick
        former President of Tonka
               and CEO of Rollerblade


The data is readily available but often not discussed. Lawyers suffer from far more anxiety and depression than any other group of professionals.
Executive Coaching: Achieving Balance and Managing Stress

Lawyers work in a profession characterized by long hours, high stress and frequent incivility. The ABA reports that the inability to meet personal and family needs is one of the major reasons why lawyers leave the profession. Absent a genuine and substantial shift in the profession away from the billable hour, work-life balance issues are going to be primary stress points for lawyers throughout their careers.

The question therefore becomes: Is work-life balance achievable for legal professionals? It depends on how we envision the concept of balance. If, by “balance,” we mean having an equal number of hours for each of our various work and personal activities, we are likely to feel out of balance in most law firm and corporate environments, where serving the client and generating fees form the basis for a successful practice. If, on the other hand, by “balance,” we are referring to a healthy flow of energy and attention for the various parts of our lives, then balance is not only achievable but, arguably, it is essential for survival in our fast-moving and competitive work environment.

The Executive Lawyer LLC offers a comprehensive program for helping our clients to foster balance in their work and in their lives. The goal is not to try to cram more tasks into schedules that are already overloaded. Instead, we help our clients to define what “balance” means for them, to clarify their own individual values and priorities, and to align their lives with those values and priorities so that they can lead more purposeful and enjoyable lives. We also offer a comprehensive stress reduction program, which teaches various techniques for reducing the inevitable stress that lawyers face in their profession.

Our work in this area can be incorporated into a comprehensive one-on-one coaching relationship with individual clients or it can be delivered as part of a workshop designed for groups of up to 15 people.

For an example of our work with clients in the areas of balance and stress management, see our Case Studies.