In-House Counsel

What Are You Doing Post Pandemic?

The mental health issues that creep in or slap you upside the head make you consider your choices.

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There’s always been a lot of talk, discussion, whatever you choose to call it, about “fit.”  And I mean that not in the sense of physical fitness, but in the sense of fitness for a particular job, or as some lawyers might say in the context of warranties, fitness for a particular purpose.

We hear the term bandied about. “She’s not a good fit for this particular position.” “I don’t think he would fit in with the rest of the team.” And so on. I heard that from my HR clients time and again. And why did the hiring manager go ahead and hire that person? Doesn’t she know that it is always easier to not hire than to have to go through the necessary and appropriate drill to fire someone? You’d think they would have learned but they never did.

Why do I bring up the issue of fitness? During the past year or so, lawyers (and others) have found themselves in a dilemma, not of their own making. For some lawyers, the pandemic has shown that they really like or even love what they’re doing. For others, not so much, and even in some cases, not at all. I think the pandemic has in a sense sorted out those who love what they do from those who don’t. It’s a question of fit.

Even if the job or the career of lawyering is not a fit, we stick to it because that’s what we are told to do from childhood, from liking to loathing, from tolerance and resilience to endurance and, finally, maybe one day, to say as Johnny Paycheck sang, “take this job and shove it.” We are afraid to make changes (student loan debt is one huge consideration for staying put).

But the mental health issues that creep in or slap you upside the head make you consider your choices. Take it from me, as you grow older, your health in most cases doesn’t improve with age, unlike expensive red wine. Waiter, I will have some cheese with the whine.

So, what if you don’t think the law and you fit together anymore? Do you really want to spend the rest of your working life doing something you truly don’t like, let alone tolerate? Are you grateful just to have a job? How do you come to terms with what you are doing versus what you want to do? Don’t look to me for how to reconcile those disparate threads. That’s your job.

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Perhaps this checklist, courtesy of Angela Han, a lawyer and coach, may help. I think her checklist (and we all use checklists) can get you thinking about what it is you really want to do.

Han lists items for you to think about and maybe even act on at some point. Work smarter, not harder, don’t be afraid to charge for your knowledge, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There’s no way we can know everything, even though some people think they do.

Take baby steps. As Anne Lamott says in her book, “Bird by Bird,” that’s exactly what to do. It’s so much easier to take small bites (remember Mom telling us to do that?) than to inhale the whole thing all at once. Lamott has terrific advice both on writing and on life.

Be patient. Easy to say and very hard for lawyers to do. Simmer down. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is your career.

Han says to ask yourself what is bothering you the most. You needn’t have all the answers to the problem, but start. You may find that the problem is more of a molehill than a mountain, and I have climbed many molehills.

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If this last year has taught us anything, it is that, as Han puts it, “change involves reflection.” So, reflect and then change if you want to. If you reflect and find that you like where you are, personally and professionally, then stay the course. Change is hard and the older you get, the harder it is. I am not saying don’t make whatever change you think you want or is necessary, just know that it’s not easy.

What’s your passion? What do you like to do? I liked litigation because the cases were all about personalities. What did I like to do least? Anything to do with documentation, contracts, and the like, other than settlement agreements. I would rather have had a fork stuck in my eyeball than to negotiate, draft, or review documents. What I liked most about the practice was working with my clients to provide creative (and sometimes unorthodox) solutions to problems, solutions to be found in resolving cases rather than trying them.

Once you have figured your passion, then how do you incorporate that passion into your practice? Find out who does what you like to do and get in touch with them. Don’t be shy; this is your professional life. I have never known anyone who isn’t flattered by inquiries about how to do what they do. Be persistent, but not annoying. You don’t need a mentor, you need a rabbi, a term for a champion, a sponsor, one who has your back.

Finally, Han advises to “focus on the lessons.” We are all learning, at least we should be, every day. Look at how we all have learned to use Zoom. If something that was a passion no longer is, there’s nothing wrong in acknowledging that. We go from one project to another with different levels of enthusiasm.

Take heart; don’t be discouraged. Finding your fit is lifelong work; what you loved to do in your 30s may turn your stomach in your 50s. Your life as a lawyer constantly evolves, which is as it should be.

Jill Switzer has been an active member of the State Bar of California for over 40 years. She remembers practicing law in a kinder, gentler time. She’s had a diverse legal career, including stints as a deputy district attorney, a solo practice, and several senior in-house gigs. She now mediates full-time, which gives her the opportunity to see dinosaurs, millennials, and those in-between interact — it’s not always civil. You can reach her by email at [email protected].

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