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
- Why Elon Musk’s Favourite Lawyer Alex Spiro is Done Just LawyeringWhat Next For The Star Lawyer? Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor Alex Spiro—the courtroom maestro… Read more: Why Elon Musk’s Favourite Lawyer Alex Spiro is Done Just Lawyering
- Clio and vLex Join Forces In Billion-Dollar Push for Smarter Legal TechClio made a major move that will reshape the emerging LegalAI marklet by buying vLex for $1 billion, a deal that brings together two big names in law tech. Clio is known for tools that help lawyers run their firms. vLex is famous for smart AI-powered legal research. The deal is a game-changer for law firms, putting a world-class legal AI engine—Vincent—and a massive database of case law in the hands of a company that powers law firms, not just legal publishers. The deal also marks a shift in how legal AI is used. Clio’s main job is to h
- How Nonequity Partners Are Reshaping Big Law – Thanks To Kirkland & EllisKirkland & Ellis flipped the script on law firm partnerships by building a massive nonequity partner tier, now over 1,000 stron, which has let Kirkland promote more lawyers, faster, than most competitors, turning what some once called a “marketing trick” into a powerhouse business mode Recruiters now have Kirkland’s nonequity partners on speed dial. “They’re hot property,” the partner says. “Even if they’re not equity, getting a Kirkland ‘partner’ is a win for any recruiter or client.” Criticism of Kirkland’s two-tier, salaried partner model has faded. Now, other firms want in. The move is seen as smart business, not just a trick. Kirkland’s success, and the Wall Street money being paid to some partners in such firms, has pushed other big firms
- From Wachtell to Latham – Inside M&A Star Zach Podolsky’s Big MoveM&A star Zach Podolsky is now a star at Latham & Watkins after leaving Wachtell Lipton, where he led some of the biggest deals in the country. His switch is a major win for Latham but an equally big loss for Wachtell. Known for his work on major energy deals, Podolsky led Wachtell’s team on APA’s $4.5 billion buy of Callon Petroleum, among other top deals, making him one of the most recognized names in mergers and acquisitions. In 2024, he ranked second globally by MergerLinks for advising on nearly $70 billion in transactions, including the ConocoPhillips acquisition of Marathon Oil and Diamondback Energy’s purchase of Endeavor Energy Resources.
- Stop Karping Says Brad . . Why Paul Weiss’s Boss Says The Firm Is In Good Heart Despite DeparturesSeven partners and others have left Paul Weiss but their former firm remains in good heart according to firm boss Brad Karp, who met with litigation partner to refute the ‘disinformation’ about the firm, according to a New York Law Journal report. Seven partners have left Paul Weiss for Dunn Isaacson Rhee, a new litigation boutique in Washington, DC. that is building a formidable team of Paul Weiss alumni who decided the heavyweight firm’s Trump Administration deal was too much to stomach. Paul Weiss promised Trump $40 million in free legal services on shared causes, including combating antisemitism and ensuring “fairness in the justice system.”
- When Celebrity Trials Turn into TikToksCelebrity trials are the new reality TV. The recent cases of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Harvey Weinstein have turned courtrooms into stages, with every detail dissected by fans, critics, and armchair lawyers. Take Weinstein (pictured below at this first trial – Season 1, if you like). After a rollercoaster of headlines, a Manhattan jury just found him guilty again—showing that even powerful figures can be held to account, but not without twists and turns.
