Victoria Hudgins*The mountain of emails greeting a lawyer when they start their work day can be a daunting task. Add in a steady avalanche of emails throughout the day, and a lawyer can easily feel besieged and stressed.
Being inundated with emails was one of various work stressors that the “Friend or Foe: Tech and Well-Being” session at ABA TechShow 2020 discussed on Feb. 28.
Downs Law business manager Jennifer Downs and Arizona state bar lawyer assistance programs director Roberta Tepper offered solutions to alleviate work stresses and foster improved work-life integration.
Email Triage
To address the email pain point, Downs recommended an “email triage,” where an attorney sets a dedicated time to check emails sent while they are out of the office. After that allotted time, they need to shift from emails to work on something substantive, she said.
Lawyers can also set up automated response messages notifying clients when they check emails, Tepper added. While the response is automated, Tepper said, it soothes most clients’ anxiety and informs them that they will hear back from the attorney.
For internal communication, the panelists recommended leveraging Microsoft Teams, Slack, Trello and other collaboration platforms to cut down the emails stuffing their inboxes.
Non Tech Answers
Along with tech solutions, the panel also offered a non-tech answer to decrease email fatigue: Tepper suggested lawyers and staffers verbally ask a question instead of emailing a concern.
She described a weekly “Walk-about Wednesday” rule where her Arizona State Bar department’s lawyers and staffers would walk to someone’s desk and ask a question instead of emailing them. “Walk-about Wednesday” eventually became a daily event, Tepper said.
_______________________________________________________________________
“It’s not an easy discussion because it’s changing how you interact . .
Roberta Tepper
If walking to someone’s desk isn’t practical, Tepper suggested calling someone instead. Similar to speaking face-to-face, phone calls can be less stressful than sending emails where wording can be misconstrued or the communication ignored.
Kicking the habit of emailing first, when the person sits 30 feet away, can be difficult because of the normalcy of emailing in the workplace, the panelists agreed. However, it may be more difficult for younger lawyers and staffers. But with consistent, ongoing coaching, that pattern can be broken.
“This is a training issue, but with younger attorneys everything is a text or email,” Tepper said. “It’s not an easy discussion because it’s changing how you interact and that comfort level of not having that face-to-face. You just have to sit down and say, ‘It occurs to me that it’s a very stressful environment to have all these emails to serve our members, and so here is what we are going to do for now on.’”
Still, phone calls can also be overwhelming, specifically when a client is calling at late or early hours. The panelists suggested only allowing clients to call a phone number associated with a Google Voice, Sideline or other similar phone platforms to prevent immediate phone access at inappropriate hours.
If a client prefers to text, the lawyer should also define appropriate times for texting. While ZipWhip, MyCase and other platforms capture texts securely with integrations into practice management systems, Tepper and Downs stressed setting scheduled time frames for client texting.
While there are platforms and approaches to alleviate various work stresses, Downs encouraged executive-level staff to discuss the topic. Such discussions allow lawyers and staff to not feel ashamed about truthfully discussing their work pain points.
“When we are talking about well-being, it is this whole work-life interaction, there’s no balance there,” Downs said. “There’s something out of whack, and we need to put it back in healthy ways.”
Author Bio
Victoria Hudgins is a reporter for Legaltech News, where I cover national and international cyber regulations and legal tech innovations and developments.
More LawFuel News
- DWF’s Private Equity Diet Sees 100+ Staff Positions Deemed Non-Essential in ‘Growth Strategy’The UK Law Private Equity Pinch Jacqui Coombe, LawFuel contributor In the latest episode of… Read more: DWF’s Private Equity Diet Sees 100+ Staff Positions Deemed Non-Essential in ‘Growth Strategy’
- Kirkland & Ellis: The Great Associate EscapeWhy Are Kirkland & Ellis Lawyers Heading for the Exits? Jacqui Coombe, LawFuel contributor If… Read more: Kirkland & Ellis: The Great Associate Escape
- Pogust Goodhead’s High-Stakes Hangoverf you thought class action was a contact sport, wait until you hear what’s been happening at Pogust Goodhead. The London-based litigation shop that made its name (and burned through a fair bit of investor cash) chasing down corporate behemoths is now facing a drama worthy of its own mini-series. Pogust Goodhead burst onto the scene with a business model that could make even the most jaded litigation funder’s eyes water. However there has been trouble brewing and, as The Times reported this week, the law firm’s own auditors have questioned whether the firm can continue as a going concern. Read More . .
- How Saudi Is Creating A New Big Law Gold RushThe Saudi Big Law Gold Rush Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor Big Law firms are… Read more: How Saudi Is Creating A New Big Law Gold Rush
- How US Law Firms Are Shaking Up The UK Legal ProfessionThe UK’s legal world is in the midst of a dramatic change with the driving force is coming from US law firms that are expanding aggressively into London, triggering a fierce battle for both clients and top legal talent. London has always been a global legal powerhouse, but in recent years, US law firms have set their sights on the city like never before. By 2021, nearly 90 major US firms had opened London offices, and that number has only grown since.
- How Aaron Teitelbaum Led DOJ’s Google TakedownWho Is Aaron Teitelbaum, The DOJ’s Antitrust Virtuoso Who Helped Topple Google’s Ad Tech Empire?… Read more: How Aaron Teitelbaum Led DOJ’s Google Takedown
