The value of reflective support
There are certain themes that, in the author’s experience, often come up in work between private wealth lawyers and therapists, some of which are explored in this article. These include how the challenges of a flexible workplace are being tackled, an increasing awareness of trauma in legal work, the use of reflective support and a growing interest in how the future might look.
Post‑pandemic
There is no doubt that the COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated a number of changes in the way everyone is working, and there are clear benefits to flexible working, but there are also new personal challenges (such as a blurring of the line between work and home, and new roles developing within families), as well as work‑related challenges.
One issue that often arises with junior lawyers is the struggle to access supervision and guidance. Juniors will often feel a great expectation to be autonomous. At the same time, it is more difficult for senior team members to notice when someone is having a tough time or to have a quiet word.
Firms and individual lawyers are awake to these issues, with many lawyers seeking to clarify expectations from their colleagues and consider their own expectations at work at the initial stages of their career.
Trauma
Private client lawyers are commonly involved with potentially traumatic cases including death, family arguments and divorce. Each person deals with these issues differently. One person with a particular personal history may be sanguine, while another with a more traumatic history, perhaps related to the issue at hand, will not.
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