Sarah Goulbourne, co-founder of successful law firm GunnerCooke, has 10 rules for being a happy lawyer.
Happy lawyers are; fun, charismatic, considered and trustworthy; are you?
Many lawyers I have met say they are unhappy because of their career choice. They are overworked, under-appreciated and disillusioned with their profession.
Unhappy lawyers have fallen out of love with practising law.
Happy lawyers embrace change. They continually evolve their habits to meet the demands of the world around them – understanding that they must adapt to the needs of their clients.
They have strong relationships, nurtured and retained over many years – to the point that their clients are friends and their referrers are passionate ambassadors.
They know their worth, they are a valuable advisor – and so they find ways to add more value at every juncture. They use this to command fair prices with their clients – and are praised for over-delivering every time.
They are inspired to be creative with how they reach out to new prospects, and manage to have a sense of humanity and humour in the process.
Happy lawyers are fun, not a workaholic, who doesn’t appreciate a light-hearted gesture; charismatic, passionate about every matter; considered, they think about how their work impacts the wider business; trustworthy, reliable, loyal and maintain integrity at all costs.
The happiest lawyers are amazing, inspiring people to be around. I’m lucky to be around them every day. Are you?
Rule 1: Be Rich in Experience
Be rich in life – not just in law, but in life. – Read More
Rule 2: Learn to Listen
I often hear that people struggle with communication, and a lot of the time it can be down to something as obvious as not being able to listen properly. Often people neglect to listen because they are waiting for their turn to talk. –Read More
Rule 3: Mistakes
Making mistakes is part of learning, solve them by supporting your team
I’ve met many unhappy lawyers who are deeply agitated by the mistakes of their fellow teammates – and will tell you so at every opportunity. Happy lawyers know that unfortunately, mistakes are part of life. Instead of wasting energy bemoaning the failings of others, they are inspired to find an effective way to respond and to help find a good solution. – Read More
Rule 4: Honesty and Integrity
Something that should be expected of lawyers!
Unfortunately, the sad truth of our profession today is that the legal sector is not always associated with integrity, honesty or ultimately trust. I’m sure we’ve all met someone in business who has had a bad experience, that means they don’t have full trust in their lawyer. – Read More
Rule 5: Do Work You Love
The happiest lawyers I know are the ones who choose the work they do and the clients they do it with.
Rule 6: Treasure your network
The happiest lawyers are those who have diverse relationships with a variety of people, who know them for their eagerness to connect, give and over-deliver. Naturally, when an opportunity comes up – the happy lawyers are the first people to spring to mind. Their network thinks of them as a person who ‘goes the extra mile’, someone who remembers small, personal details and someone that delivers far beyond expectations. – Read more
Rule 7: Find ways to give back
The happiest lawyers I know are ‘givers’. They don’t just sit back and reap the rewards of hard work, but use their position to help others. This is not necessarily by giving away money to ‘ease their conscience’. They make an effort to use their skills and their time for the benefit of others. – Read more
Rule 8: Control Your Destiny
Sarah looks into how happier lawyers are those who actively take responsibility for their own lives and careers. The happiest lawyers control their own destiny.
You’ve probably heard people say, ‘control your own destiny or someone else will.’
I hear many lawyers saying how unhappy they are because their work takes up all their time. They take on more and more, because they have been told that they must in order to achieve their goals and progress in their profession. – See here
Rule 9: Make time for your loved ones
The happiest lawyers I know, prioritise the people who matter most in their lives. Read More
Rule 10: Happy lawyers are; fun, charismatic, considered and trustworthy; are you?
Many lawyers I have met say they are unhappy because of their career choice. They are overworked, under-appreciated and disillusioned with their profession.- Read More
Do People Really Start Hating Their Jobs at 35?
