Washington Lawyer - January/February 2019 - 30

Reimer continued doing meditation and yoga when she went out into the work
world and when she later opened her own law firm, Dhali & Reimer PLLC. Today,
she teaches yoga and meditation in her spare time, fitting in sessions around
consultations and depositions. Mostly, she says, mindfulness allows her to see
the world for what it truly is and not for what she might like it to be.
"For me, it keeps me grounded," says Reimer. "I'm able to make better decisions in
the moment. It allows [me] not to react based on a fear of the future or a regret of
the past, which is a very important skill for a lawyer. In a courtroom, lawyers tend
to get under each other's skin pretty easily, and things can escalate pretty quickly
in an adversarial environment. Mindfulness helps you bring it back."
In a profession that is built on being right and a forceful drive for success, failure,
depression, and addiction are hidden and even refuted. Often today, a lawyer's
delicate emotional poise works until unanticipated problems take attorneys
over the edge: a death in the family, problems in a marriage, the loss of a
partner-mentor, a critical and demanding trial, or losing a case.
A 2016 study by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar
Association (ABA) Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs found that 28
percent of lawyers struggle with depression, 19 percent of lawyers demonstrate
symptoms of anxiety, 21 percent of attorneys are problem drinkers, and attorneys in the first 10 years of practice have the highest rates of depression,
anxiety, and alcohol abuse.

Courtesy of Mark Henry

Intellectual property attorney Mark Henry (right) goes scuba diving to
de-stress. His underwater adventures have taken him from Greece to the
Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
For some attorneys, exercise and play can serve both physical and mental
health needs. Mark Henry, senior counsel with Staas & Halsey LLP, took a D.C.
course in scuba diving, which included trips to a Bethesda pool for underwater
training and traveling to Grand Cayman for certification. The sport has turned
into a passion and has taken him from Greece to the Great Barrier Reef in
Australia.
One of the advantages of something like scuba diving, says Henry, is that it
allows the diver to be completely focused on "staying alive," no matter how
ominous that sounds. Consider it an underwater meditation practice.
"It's probably the most relaxing activity to do," says Henry, who also relieves
stress by bike riding, noodling on the guitar, and working out. "You're under
water and the only way to breathe is through your tank. All you focus
on is staying alive. Anything about work disappears from your mind."

TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND
For attorney Stacie Reimer, yoga and meditation became her go-tos in law
school when emotional pressures mounted under the heavy workload. Much
like an Army boot camp, Reimer believes law school breaks down a student's
self-confidence, and then rebuilds it around the culture of law. The emotional
and mental workout comes at a price, though.

30 WASHINGTON LAWYER

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Last September, the ABA launched a campaign targeting substance use disorders and mental health issues among lawyers. The campaign urges law firms to
take a seven-point pledge to focus attention on these issues and to take steps
to respond to them. A number of international and national law firms have
signed on to the pledge.
"We need a broader conversation among leadership in firms and leaders in the
profession about what we want the identity of the profession to be," says Krill,
who helped design the ABA framework. "We have to take a look at our value
system. If the only thing we're valuing is profits and profits per partner and not
the quality of life and meaningfulness of the work, then these problems are
going to continue."
A number of firms are working vigorously to address mental health concerns
in their workplaces. For example, Fried Frank has partnered with Corporate
Counseling Associates (CCA) in the United States to provide lawyers and staff
with free, 24/7 confidential guidance, counseling, and assistance in finding
resources for emotional well-being, child and adult care, educational institutions, health information, daily living services, and legal and financial issues,
among others.
"We recognize that law firms are known to be high-stress environments that
can cause burnout," says Alan Kaden, managing partner of Fried Frank's D.C.
office and co-chair of its tax department. "There are pressures to perform, to
stand out, and to excel, and pressures to bill and to ultimately develop a client
base. We are focused on changing this mindset and are constantly taking steps
to alleviate these strains and provide support to all of our lawyers and staff to
ensure their physical and mental well-being."

MANAGE YOUR MONEY WELL
Along with getting into good physical and mental order, attorneys can reduce
their stress levels by getting a better handle on their finances. The best way to
do that is to work with a financial planner or investment adviser who understands the legal profession's unique needs and can offer insights into building
a secure financial future.
Christopher N. Brown, a registered financial advisor with Ivy League Financial
Advisors LLC, specializes in partnering with attorneys to help craft investment
plans. He believes working with a trusted financial advisor is the best way for

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Washington Lawyer - January/February 2019

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