“I’m too busy.”
“I don’t know anyone else involved.”
“I think it will be too cliquey.”
There are a plethora of justifications to evade participation in the Young Lawyers Section of The Jacksonville Bar Association.
Candidly, I adopted my fair share of excuses before testing the YLS waters and it would be disingenuous to suggest that I am a grizzled YLS veteran. I am not. However, failing to get involved earlier in my legal career is a decision I regret.
The ink was still drying on my law school diploma when my daughter was born. In my first years as an attorney, changes in my employment and personal relationships triggered additional pressure.
To say my personal life was hectic is an understatement and learning how to practice law only magnified the stress.
I should have capitalized on the benefits the YLS offers during this time to help declutter my life because, let’s face it, we all need an outlet. That pressure valve can be the YLS.
Participating in organizations outside your office is important to increase exposure in the Jacksonville community, develop referral sources and meet other legal professionals in town.
However, one of the most valuable advantages tends to get overlooked — an outlet for the stress associated with a young attorney’s life.
By now we have more than constructive knowledge of the pressures of the job. Long hours, demanding caseloads, billable-hour thresholds, client demands and the adversarial nature of the professional itself make the legal world challenging and isolating at times.
Simply trying to figure out what the heck you are doing while muddling through this new profession can be a daunting task that heightens the stress level immensely.
The YLS offers an atmosphere that young attorneys cannot always find at their firm or among family and friends.
Some work at firms with no associates of similar age. Others work at firms where they do not feel comfortable asking questions for fear of looking inept. Still others work in areas where there is little contact with other attorneys.
Regardless of our respective situations, we all require time to vent, learn from our colleagues and contribute to the community.
Participating in the YLS not only allows you to socialize with your contemporaries, but also helps you realize that most, if not all of us, are experiencing the same stressors and trepidations — both personally and professionally.
While no one wants to relish in someone else’s misery, there is a certain comfort knowing that you are not alone. As an additional benefit, you meet attorneys who hail from all areas of the law who can help answer questions and steer you in the right direction when a client comes to you with an issue that is outside your area of practice.
The YLS also offers tremendous opportunities to participate in events such as Holidays in January, the Chili Cook-off and poker tournament that are not only entertaining, but raise money for worthy causes.
This year, the YLS is unveiling two new initiatives — The Jacksonville Public Education Fund and Wills for Warriors — that promise to make huge impacts in the community and present more options to get involved and make a difference.
Unfortunately, too many in our profession choose more destructive outlets. The statistics on drug and alcohol abuse and depression rates among attorneys are sobering indeed.
I won’t belabor the point because those figures have been pounded into our heads since law school orientation.
Three points are worth reiterating:
• Substance abuse problems developed early in an attorney’s career tend to get progressively worse.
• A large percentage of attorney disciplinary actions are tied to drug or alcohol abuse.
• Most respondents in a recent survey conducted by the American Bar Association stated drugs and alcohol were used as an escape mechanism.
Avoid that route, especially since there are far more productive and beneficial ways to manage work-related stress.
While a healthy diet, regular exercise and enjoying leisurely activities are all essential in developing a sound work-life balance, sometimes more is needed on a professional level to deal with the rigors of practicing law. The YLS offers that opportunity.
One case will always be easy for a lawyer to prove — life as an attorney is constantly stressful. It is simply part of our chosen profession.
I am not proposing the YLS is the elixir that will solve all of your professional woes. I am suggesting that associating with similarly situated attorneys can be beneficial and provide a much-needed forum to vent, unwind, and relax while giving back to the local community.
If you have never participated in a YLS event, I challenge you to give it a whirl.
You can start by joining us at the Ponte Vedra Ocean Course on Thursday, Oct. 15, for the annual YLS Golf Tournament. We look forward to seeing you there.