Aside from graduating from law school and getting employment at a respectable law firm, female lawyers must juggle many responsibilities to keep a good work and home life balance. Not all women attorneys have significant others and children to care for, but they do have active social lives, hobbies, families and other personal projects that require a lot of their time. Working in the legal industry is a passion, but it is also critical to maintain personal relationships says Abigail from wbtblaw.com. Follow these five steps if you need to know how to create a better balance between working as an attorney and keeping the relationships with your friends, associates, and family strong.
1. Know When You’re Off the Clock
Most lawyers check their email while they’re on the go, while at lunch, and even at home when they really should be getting some much needed rest. Learn to activate your internal ‘off’ switch and hold off on answering correspondences until you have recharged and are ready to report back to work. Although clients and colleagues appreciate prompt responses, they’ll also benefit from communicating with you when you’re at your very best.
2. Take Time to Pamper Yourself
Whether you have a spa that you always go to on Saturday mornings or a manicure set that you use on yourself at home, women attorneys should always find the best ways to care for themselves on a physical level. You may find that pampering yourself includes shopping for new home interior accessories or getting a luxurious facial. If you are giving your all to your clients, putting in more than 40 hours a week and stepping up whenever a senior attorney asks, make sure that you keep your life balanced by investing a little time and energy into taking care of your physical being.
3. Keep Pursuing New Hobbies
Having time for hobbies on the weekends is great, but exploring new interests will help to keep you motivated. Try out horseback riding, teach yourself to croquet, or even take salsa dancing lessons so that you maintain a positive outlook on life and give yourself adequate opportunities to make new self-discoveries. Pursuing new hobbies will also aid you in scheduling time for yourself to do what you want. This will keep you from tiring yourself out by performing favors for others.
4. Manage the Number of Clients You Take On
Another easy way to keep a good work-life balance is to take on a number of clients that keeps you busy and not overwhelmed. If you are a successful and well-known attorney, you will always have people contacting you for your legal expertise. At times, you will be able to represent nearly everyone you have a consultation with. Other times, it may be prudent to direct them to other attorneys that you know and respect. With a reasonable number of clients to juggle, it will be much more practical for you to keep your home and work lives well balanced.
5. Work with a Competent Paralegal
Having a great support system at work can help you to better manage your workload. Legal research, checking over documents and even filling out petitions are some of the main responsibilities of paralegals. If you have excellent legal assistants on your team, you can not only reduce the number of hours you put in at work every week, but you can also reduce overhead costs for your clients.
While life may be slightly different for women attorneys, pursuing the legal field is something that busy moms, accomplished singles, and even doting grandmothers regularly do. Women attorneys place great importance on their careers, but they still want to go home to lives that they can enjoy off the clock. With a balanced work and home life, you’ll be more productive and feel great about the direction your life is going in.