Max Savoie, a partner at Sidley Austin in the payments and fintech practice, has shared his journey on Law.com navigating high-pressure legal environments while managing personal challenges and maintaining mental health.
Savoie, who began his career at Clifford Chance, faced significant personal adversity, including the loss of his father to suicide, which deeply affected his early career and mental health.
Throughout his professional growth, he has learned to manage stress effectively and now champions mental health awareness within the legal sector.
Savoie credits several strategies for helping him handle the demands of his high-stakes legal career:
- Therapy and Mental Health Support: Savoie says he has benefited from ongoing therapy, including participation in his firm’s counseling service. His counselor, a former lawyer, offers insights tailored to the unique pressures of a legal career.
- Organizational Techniques: To manage work stress, Savoie relies on dynamic to-do lists that help prioritize tasks and manage workflow efficiently. This system allows him to focus intensely on one item at a time, reducing overall stress.
- Physical and Mental Escapes: Running and engaging with history through podcasts and books provide Savoie with a mental escape, helping him maintain balance.
- Strong Personal Relationships: Maintaining strong connections with family and friends supports his emotional well-being. Savoie emphasizes the importance of being open about vulnerabilities to strengthen these relationships.
- Work-Life Balance: As he anticipates becoming a father, Savoie is more conscious of balancing his demanding career with his personal life. He tries to prioritize and triage work tasks and makes a concerted effort to not check work emails during personal time, unless expecting critical communications.
The ongoing issues of mental health in the law profession continue to occupy time and attention as stories of tragedies and lawyer burnout affecting those operating in a high stress environment continue to emerge.
Savoie encourages others in high-stress jobs to seek professional help if overwhelmed, noting the importance of recognizing mental health needs as legitimate as physical health needs. His approach emphasizes empathy, proper risk management without undue stress, and open communication to address and alleviate workplace pressures.
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