Wellness Wednesday Webinar: Virtual Isolation: Is Hyperconnectivity Helping or Harming the Legal Professional?

If we stop to think about what we look at most during the day, the answer would probably not be our family or friends, nor our clients or colleagues. The most feasible option would be our mobile phone. Smartphones are now our companions for work, social, leisure and even family life. However, excessive use can lead to problems of dependence, addiction and fear. We find ourselves simultaneously connected and alone. Workers today are ‘never turned off.” Like our mobile phones, we only go on standby at the end of the day as we crawl into bed, exhausted. 

Gradual, incremental increases in responsibilities, duties, pressures and demands upon lawyers, at home and at work, combined with long work-days and weeks has placed our profession at risk. At some point work may dominate our lives and keep us at a chronically high level of distress; yet we are often unaware that we have lost balance in our lives. Since it doesn’t appear that the “always-on” culture will be switching off any time soon, we need to develop key strategies that can help safeguard our personal life.

And Technology ? What role does it play in perpetuating this public health crisis ?

Attorney Brian Quinn  will discuss:

• The early warning signs of impairment, with special emphasis on stress, anxiety and trauma
• The free services that Lawyers Assistance Programs provide
• A close look at what barriers exist that prevent lawyers from seeking the help they need
• Wellness strategies that can be used by legal professionals and their families
• The ethical challenges created by the imposed isolation of the pandemic