Mood swings, panic attacks, and skin problems – no, you’re not a teenager, you’re a lawyer in a traditional law firm. The level of stress within the legal profession is well documented – in fact LawCare, a charity that works with those in the legal profession, cites stress as the most common reason for calls to its helpline. But the symptoms of stress and a working life that is out of balance can do a lot more than bring on symptoms, they can literally take years off your life.
Research by Finnish scientists in 2012 revealed people who suffer high work stress can see their lives shortened. Stress can impact on part of the DNA called telomeres, which can lead to early ageing.
So how do you ensure you don’t cut your life short, whilst still pursuing the career you used to love, but may have grown to hate? You become a consultant lawyer with Setfords.
Consultants work for themselves, but under the umbrella of Setfords. We provide all the support a lawyer needs to do their best work, as well as vital indemnity insurance. This way of working addresses a lot of the issues that normally add stress to the life of a lawyer in a traditional firm, starting with billing targets. If you want to put someone under pressure and raise their stress levels give them unachievable targets and then make them believe their career is at stake if they don’t meet them. We don’t do that. In fact, we actively encourage you to take on only the number of clients you can handle to ensure your clients get the dedicated and personal level of service they deserve. And if you think that approach would lead to a fall in income, you’re wrong. Give lawyers back control over their careers, and they perform better – they’re happier and more efficient and have a better relationship with their clients. And that means more, higher quality work coming their way.
Take away billing targets and you inevitably remove the long working hours and subsequent exhaustion and stress that follows – an all too familiar experience for those working in traditional firms. Working as a consultant at Setfords there’s no one looking over your shoulder and judging you as you walk out the door at 7pm. You are your own boss, working when you want to work, where you want to work. You are in control. It’s not hard to imagine how much stress is removed from your life by embracing this better way of working.
If this sounds too good to be true, well, you’re mistaken. This way of working is very real. In fact, we now have over 160 consultant lawyers across the country. They’re less stressed, earn more money, and they have the control over their lives we all crave, but few ever achieve. They’ve got a life they love, and chances are they’ll be alive longer to enjoy it. The question is: will you?
To find out more about becoming a consultant lawyer at Setfords go to www.consultantsolicitor.co.uk
Chris Setford
CEO, Setfords Solicitors