MY PERSPECTIVE

the thin line

DEPRESSION
Depression For Lawyers
BY ELIZABETH KHARA GABRIEL, Esq. NiCArb

Lawyers are of utmost importance in A healthy lawyer is good for business,

our society. Being a lawyer enables us good for clients, and good for the
contribute to all spheres of life, ranging lawyer.
from government to individual lives.
Lawyers are pillars of the society, while For a lawyer to be in optimal health,
also, they are known for their there are certain things that should
peacekeeping role in the society. We be present. There should be balance
help people understand the law so in his spiritual, physical, social,
they can build the world they want to occupational, intellectual and
live in. Lawyers work hard for long emotional life. A lawyer should be
hours on end in order to satisfy their able to develop a sense of meaning
clients, and in doing so, they neglect and purpose, be actively involved in
certain health bene its. An American physical activities, develop his mind,
Lawyer, John Williams Davis said be creative, and in all, maintain a
healthy social life.
“…Lawyers build no bridges, we raise no
towers …but we take on people’s burden For a lawyer to maximize his
and by our efforts we make possible a potentials, the workplace plays a very
peaceful life in a peaceful state”. important role. The workplace should
do more to capture or provide some
Lord Simon in Waugh v. British Rails of the necessary things needed by the
Board(1979) 2 All E R 1169 at 176 said lawyer for his self-development. That
means the workplace must be healthy
“…Lawyers are a class of the community who by study and friendly.
and experience have acquired the art and power of
arranging evidence…A Lawyer to his client all that his Law of ices/ irms should encourage trust ,honesty,
client might fairly do for himself, if he could”. respect, civility, balance, growth and development,
amongst its workers. It should also strive to have
With great responsibilities come great burden. The mechanisms to help reduce workload with proper
weight of the burden on lawyers can threaten their division of labour amongst the staff. The irm or of ice
should also promote friendship and pay attention to the
health of its workers.

“Firms should pay special Firms should pay special attention to the health of its
workers, that is, their mental and physical health.
attention to the health of Research has shown that lawyers are at high risk of
its workers, that is, their mental disorder because they are involved in so much
mental work which can lead to mental stress and
mental and physical depression.
health.” Health talks should be organized, and psychological
evaluations should be carried out from time to time,
health and general well-being leading to stress and while healthy meals and snacks should be introduced to
various health conditions which most lawyers are too the workers. Social activities and workout at workplace
busy to acknowledge. This stress ends up affecting the should be encouraged.
quality of work done by the lawyer for his/her client. A
slip up by a lawyer while handling a client’s matter may Lawyers tend to be perfectionists, which is one reason
lead to the incarceration of his client or loss of property. why they chose such a dif icult profession. There is a
constant demand from clients and in most cases,

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 MY PERSPECTIVE ELIZABETH KHARA GABRIEL, Esq.

pressure from superiors which tends to weigh in on to relieve stress on a daily basis.
lawyers making their way to the top. Most clients see
lawyers as magicians—and of course, we are! We have the SLEEP: Pathetic, right? Eye bags now form part of the facial
need to be excellent for our clients and to maintain our features of most young associates and busy lawyers. They
reputation as reputable lawyers, a noble trait associated binge on coffee and energy drinks like "Monster" which
with the profession since its inception. All these and more promises to bring out your work monster or "Red bull" that
causes stress and adds to the list of strains a lawyer has to gives you wings. The constant intake and abuse of these
contend with, which of course, can be dif icult to cope with energy drinks can lead to several health complications over
in a country like Nigeria where people ind it dif icult to time. Giving up sleep is bad for your mental and physical
seek help (counseling and psychotherapy) from health, and it also affects your productivity the next day. 7 to
professionals for better stress management. In the 8 hours of sleep is recommended if you really want to achieve
university and law school, most students envisaged the much the next day.
cash low that will come in when they are called to bar and
the respect given to a lawyer. Many of them soon found out MUSIC: Whether you are a marlian, gospel, tecno, jazz, metal
that there is a price for greatness, it's not magic after all. or any other lover of music, its important to note that music
They soon realize there are ladders that one must climb. serves as a quick escape from the reality of the moment and
Stepping into the 'real new world' after their call to bar, can enable you focus. The stress of meeting deadlines,
presents them with a different type of struggle, one that drafting bulky documents, coupled with the long hours spent
makes the law school/bar inals stress look like child's play. in court examining a witness can cause anxiety, panic attacks
As bitter and crazy this may sound, this is the harsh reality. and various health issues. Firms like Tayo Oyetibo LP, Lekki
As a young lawyer, you are expected to have the skin of an provide music breaks for their lawyers where they dance and
elephant, the courage of a martyr, and the patience of a interact with other lawyers, these breaks are given twice a
saint. That's what law school has trained you for. day and it helps refresh the brains of the lawyers.

The stress experienced by lawyers could push them to their WORK STAYS AT THE OFFICE: Do you discuss work when
absolute limit. When considering the number of hours you are home with family or when you go out for lunch with
lawyers put in to work, you'll see that lawyers barely have colleagues? it's better to keep work discussion in the of ice.
time for themselves. Every minute you spend outside the of ice should be used for
your personal development, especially if such outing is
There are some ways lawyers can manage the stress that unrelated to work. This will help recharge you mentally and
comes with their profession. Lets take a look at a few. physically, and also, helps to strengthen your relationship and
bond between family and friends.
MEDIATION: This has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety,
improve focus, and has a positive effect on your overall SEX: This is another controversial issue, but it's a great stress
physical, mental and emotional health. Sitting still and reliever. It should be noted that I'm not trying to promote
remaining calm for a couple of minutes a day could go a premarital sex escapades, but I'm basically stating the effects
long way in reducing stress. sex can have on a person going through depression, anxiety
and panic attacks. Having sex consistently is very important
EXERCISE: It is quite dif icult to think of exercise when you and enhances the body. It's a form of exercise that releases
have a inal written address or an application to bring hormones that helps ease stress and other health challenges.
before the court. It's also dif icult to it in time for exercise
into our daily routine but it is of utmost importance. As a lawyer pay great attention to your health. Go out,
According to Mayo Clinic, when you engage in physical socialize, go to the movies, have meetings with a psychologist
activity, it pumps serotonin and endorphin which sends this to help with ways to manage your stress.
feel good feeling to your brain, which subsequently gives
you what is known as "runner's high". Law Firms should also encourage and create platforms that
could help their lawyers achieve optimum health in other to
Exercise also serves as “meditation in motion,” according to get the best out of them. As a lawyer, you are a hero, and you
a Mayo Clinic report which states that focusing on a can do anything, but the most important of all is time
physical activity allows you to forget about other stresses management that will enable you make out time for yourself
you may be facing. 30-minute workout can also help reduce and people you love. This also applies to persons in several
symptoms of depression, improve your mood, focus and other professions.
energy for the rest of the day, improve your sleep, and
lower your blood pressure — all of which can contribute to
a more peaceful state of mind. Exercise can be done before Elizabeth Khara Gabriel, Esq. NiCArb is the Cofounder of LSWK
you go to work, part of your lunch time or after work. Some World, Copublisher/Executive Editor of LSWK Who's Who. She
Law irms in Nigeria actually provide gym equipment in the is an associate at Tayo Oyetibo LP, Lekki Lagos.
of ice and sets out time when their lawyers can hit the gym

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