686 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2022
work habits, eating and sleeping well, getting exercise and developing hobbies.
This is approaching the issue at the micro level. It is well-intentioned
but is ultimately ineffective unless it is accompanied by change in the workplace.
And this is where leadership is needed.
We need to approach mental health in the profession from the top down.
Management committees and partners need to take a hard look at their
workplace cultures, their leadership styles and how they treat their partners
and associates farther down the food chain. They need to ask themselves
whether they are protecting and preserving their most important
assets. And they need to develop strategies to do so and put senior people
in charge of making those strategies work.
I think there is a great deal law firms can do to improve the mental health
of their lawyers. And, frankly, it is just good business to do so.
So I suggest law firms can do the following.
1. Create an environment in which mental health can be discussed
openly and safely
Law firms need to create an environment in which mental health is discussed
in an open and safe way. To do that, law firm leaders need to lift the
façade of invincibility and be open and candid about their own mental
health experiences and challenges and about how they have learned to navigate
those challenges. This openness will serve to de-stigmatize mental
health issues and will help lawyers recognize the signs of a mental health
crisis before it occurs. It will also encourage them to take measures to
address their own challenges.
Those who live with a mental illness are natural leaders within a law firm
and can draw from their own insights into mental illness and recovery.
Their experience equips them to recognize the signs of mental health problems
that can arise at times of personal and professional distress. They are
often better prepared to manage them because they know how to access
mental health services and support networks.
The resilience of people who live with adversity like mental illness can
provide lessons to the profession on how to maintain good mental health to
counter the stress, uncertainty and pessimism that can accompany litigation.
Doron Gold, a senior clinician with the Law Society of Ontario’s Member
Assistance Program, has noted that a job in law calls for pessimism to
assess legal risk, which can lead to a pessimistic outlook on life. A person
who has grappled with pervasive pessimistic thoughts common to depression
and anxiety has often developed a healthy mental outlook and a degree
of optimism that can be applied to the practice of law and equips them to
maintain balance as legal professionals.