My Left Elbow

I’m a huge sceptic. I don’t believe in aromatherapy, reflexology or homeopathy. I find myself bewildered by the stupidity of people who make major life decisions based on their horoscopes, when I don’t even know my children’s star signs. I take all dietary advice with a pinch of salt, and I switch off Most Haunted because I don’t have the patience to watch gullible people working themselves into a state of panic in a dark room.

So, naturally, I was more than a little dubious when I researched LawCare’s information pack on stress and discovered the list of illnesses which can allegedly be caused by stress. Headaches I’ll accept, maybe even high blood pressure and heart disease, but paralysis and cancer – give me a break. And surely colds and flu are caused by viruses, not a hard day at work? And muscle strain is caused by, well, straining muscles.

But I have changed my mind about stress related illnesses, and my left elbow is the reason.

Fifteen years ago my sister experienced some stiffness and pain in her left elbow. Various medical investigations showed it to be a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. She had a major operation and treatment, and is one of the lucky 5% to have survived that particular cancer. Eighteen months ago I started to experience similar pain and stiffness in my left elbow. Naturally I was concerned that my sister’s cancer had a genetic link, but my doctor seemed to think little of it and prescribed a gel to rub on, which made little difference.

For several weeks I worried about my increasingly painful elbow. Well, I did when I had time. I have a pretty busy life, and in between working, raising my young family, trying to keep on top of the housework, cooking and laundry, running a youth group and staying up late at night writing novels there wasn’t much time to feel sorry for myself. Then we flew to Florida for a much-needed family holiday, and only a week into the trip I realised that my elbow no longer hurt.

Discovering that my elbow pain was stress related has led me to accept that there could indeed be some strange and mysterious relationship between a whole variety of symptoms and our own feelings of being under pressure. And that’s partly why it’s so important that we address stress, manage and control it, and learn to deal with it before it does lead to something more unpleasant and permanent. And that’s why LawCare is here for lawyers.

But I’m still unconvinced about homeopathy et al.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
18o0 303145 (Barriters in the Republic of Ireland)

Life Choices

As unbelievable as this sounds to me, my daughter leaves school next week. It seems only yesterday that I was waiting at the school gate to greet her after her first day in the nursery class. But she’s all grown up, and from next Friday she will be on study leave, returning to school only to take her GCSEs. She starts at sixth form college in September studying an eclectic variety of A Level subjects.

Naturally this means she has to start thinking about a career. I admit I’m relieved that she never even considered being a lawyer. I think working for LawCare has given me a somewhat jaded view of the legal profession. I am sure there must be lawyers out there who are happy and fulfilled in their work, but since they don’t call our free and confidential helplines, I do not meet them.

My daughter originally had her heart set on being an astrophysicist, until a teacher told her (incorrectly as it turns out) that to be accepted to read Astrophysics at any university, she would need to get all A* grades at GCSE. She was very unhappy to have to abandon her dream, but has quickly come up with an alternative career choice, which she is just as excited about.

Did you always dream of being a lawyer? As a seven-year-old, did nothing seem more glamorous than Group Litigation Orders or the Landlord and Tenant Act? I always wanted to be a writer. So when my careers adviser at school asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I didn’t say “I want to work as an administrator for a charity which helps lawyers with problems like stress and alcoholism.”

Career plans can change at any point, whether you’re a sixteen-year-old choosing A levels, or a disillusioned lawyer in a high street law firm. There are so many career options out there, and there is no shame in exploring and pursuing them. For help with lateral thinking, have a look at the Alternative Careers handout on our website for ideas as to 100 other things you can do with a legal qualification, other than practise law.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 303145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)

The Office Environment

The LawCare admin office recently underwent an office move for the fifth time in our fourteen-year history.

Our first office was a small suite of rooms on the top floor of 3 Bank Place in Porthmadog, and seems such a long time ago now. From there we moved onto a lower floor of the same building for a year before leaving Porthmadog altogether.

I thought the latest move might be a stressful experience, and I would miss my old office space. In the event it took less than a day, and I’m quickly getting used to where everything is and enjoying the lighter, brighter and more structured environment.

I think it’s very important for everyone to have a place to work where they can feel comfortable, secure and in control. Studies have shown that an individual’s surroundings are very important to a sense of wellbeing. Workers need to know that they have all the equipment, information and materials needed to do their job, and where they can find it. They need to have a comfortable chair, not be too hot or cold, and regular breaks with access to refreshing drinks and snacks, as required.

It’s pretty basic, but you’d be surprised how many lawyers struggle on without the books, supervision, secretarial support or even desk space they need. (I’ve written before about why I think “hot-desking” is a bad idea.) I’m aware that I’m very lucky to have such a comfortable office environment to enjoy, but if you’re forced to work in a draughty, ill-lit room, with faulty / inadequate equipment, LawCare is here to provide the support and encouragement you need to make the changes you need.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 303145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)

Finding Sanctuary

I love my office. It’s a space which is just mine. I have a photo of my family on a shelf above my desk, a very organised and personal “piling system”, and everything is where I put it and is just mine to use. It’s like my personal sanctuary, and working somewhere where I feel in control and comfortable is very important to me. I’m lucky that my work isn’t too stressful, but if it was, I can’t help but feel that a neat and ordered personal office space would go some way to offsetting that and making it easier to do my job.

Finding sanctuary outside the office environment can also be very beneficial. Although you wouldn’t know it to look at me, I really enjoy going to my local gym. It’s time on my own, pushing myself further each time, and I always reward my efforts with a few wonderful minutes in the spa afterwards. The steam room is where I do all my best thinking and resolve any issues troubling me. It’s another sanctuary.

My friend loves going to her church spiritual centre and commented the other day that her dream is to live there permanently and never leave. Many people of a religious bent find their own sanctuary in their church, meetinghouse or mosque, but it needn’t be a dedicated building and you needn’t be a spiritually minded person– your local park, or even your own bedroom, can serve as a place you can go to think quietly, or just breathe deeply and unwind after the stresses of a long day.

If work is wearing you down, try finding a place of sanctuary, in or out of the office.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the gym.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 303145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)

Leave Me Alone!

Those of us who work from home are frequently the recipients of envious looks and comments. When friends bemoan their workday lot (“signal failure on the Central Line this morning, utter chaos, I was an hour late for work”, or “I have to buy another suit, the dry cleaner couldn’t get the stain out”) the best I have to offer is “I tripped over the cat on the way to my study.” It’s easy to feel somewhat, well, jammy, as I go to work in my jammies.

We tend to compensate by making much of the downside of working from home. You have to be disciplined, make sure you knuckle down to work instead of doing your tax return. (The fact that the work has to be done is generally a good motivator in that regard. I know that by the end of today I need to have written a blog, checked and updated two PowerPoint presentations, designed and submitted an advertisement and written to a counsellor. Given that my working day ends in 2 hours, I think the tax return may have to wait until this evening.)

Then there’s the isolation. No office gossip, no water-cooler moments, no shared lunch breaks, no one to consult with, moan at or have meetings with. I sit alone, apart from the cat, for five hours a day, just getting on with my work in peace. Actually, I love it that way. When the children were off school recently, I got increasingly irritated when they “popped in” to ask for the Argos catalogue, or to let me know that they were going to a friend’s house, or just for a hug. Each time I turned back to my computer after the distraction I found I had lost my train of thought. I like to be left in peace to work, it seems. After twelve years of working from home alone, I don’t think I could concentrate in an office setting with all the banter and distractions.

So actually, working from home is great. But it’s not for everyone. Some people need work friendships, colleagues’ photographs to look through, stationery cupboard liaisons, and new hairstyles to compliment. Others prefer to be shut away in an office, distracted only by the phone and the occasional client meeting. We are all different, but one common factor is that we will all work much more productively and effectively in the environment in which we are most comfortable. For you, it may mean dressing up in a power-suit and commuting to a modern, open-plan glass office. In my case, it involves sitting alone in my study in my Primark pyjamas.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 202145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)

Quality of Life vs. Salary

A barrister friend of mine phoned me after the Government announced that child benefit would be stopped for those earning over £40,000. She has five children and was, naturally, a little upset by this policy decision. I have three children, so looking for solidarity she asked me how I would manage without child benefit. “The change won’t affect me,” I told her, “Since I don’t earn anything like £40,000. Not even half that, in fact.” She was astonished. “But you work in the legal sector!”

I reminded her that I actually work in the charity sector, but it did get me thinking that many people seem to assume that lawyers and all those around them are well off – children at private school, a new car every other year and a second home in the Cotswolds. If there’s one thing the calls to the LawCare helpline over the last few years have demonstrated, it’s that that is no longer true, if it ever was.

We hear regularly from lawyers who are struggling financially or whose firms are facing failure. In 2009, one in four calls to the LawCare helpline was from a lawyer facing financial difficulty, often due to redundancy. SBA The Solicitors Charity (formerly the Solicitors Benevolent Association), which provides financial support to solicitors, reported that the number of calls from solicitors seeking their assistance in 2009 was 77% higher than in 2007, before the recession had taken effect. The Barristers’ Benevolent Association also reported a large increase in the numbers approaching them for help in 2009, especially in cases of bankruptcy, IVAs and serious illness.

In some cases, of course, there is an element of choice involved. One of the things I value most about my job is the flexibility, and the fact that I can work from home. If I wanted, I daresay I could get a higher-paid job elsewhere, but I like what I do. Studies have shown that employees value the working environment – from the company of colleagues to the standard of the canteen – more than they do the salary. A good firm that respects and supports its staff is rewarded with loyalty, high morale and a higher standard of work, even when the salary may not be as high as that available elsewhere. Conversely, a bad firm that overloads its staff, does not keep them informed of decisions or allows a long-hours or a bullying culture to flourish will find it has to pay higher and higher salaries in order to get and / or keep employees.

So it may well be that there are many working within the legal profession today who are earning well below that £40,000 rate and keeping their child benefit, but are happy in what they do, and with what they have. We can no longer assume that all lawyers are rich or even comfortably off, not only because of the difficult financial climate at present, but because for many in the legal profession, money isn’t everything.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 3030145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)

One Day at a Time

I recently watched a programme which showed some of the disgusting eating practices elsewhere in the world. I won’t go into too much detail, but one scene which particularly stuck with me was that of a man breaking open eggs and eating the almost-ready-to-hatch chicks from inside. Not only did it turn my stomach, but it also turned my mind to the hypocrisy of my attitude. What was the essential difference, I asked myself, between eating fluffy baby chicks fresh from the egg, and letting them live for a few weeks and then killing and eating them?

So, in a rash moment, I decided to become a vegetarian.

This was a pretty big decision for me, because on the whole I don’t much like fruit and vegetables, and I love meat. It has led to some raised eyebrows and general dubiousness from my family, but since I do the cooking and I was happy still to cook meat for them, they couldn’t really protest.

I’ve now been vegetarian for a two months and have broadened my culinary horizons considerably. I’ve tried lots of dishes I would never have had before, and really enjoyed them. Carrot and cauliflower curry, pasta with pesto, pine nuts and parmesan, and soybean stir fry. (The alliteration of food is excellent when you’re vegetarian, as you’ll have noticed.)

I’m not saying it’s easy, but a few tips have really helped:
· Don’t think about never eating meat again. At the moment, I’m still telling myself that it’s temporary, and come Christmas I will tuck into the turkey and bacon rolls with everyone else. (But I’d really like it if I found I didn’t want to, of course.)
· Take one day at a time. I can cope with not eating meat today, or for the next meal. I’m facing this challenge in bite-sized chunks.
· Plan ahead. I plan in the morning everything I will eat that day, and make sure it includes something to look forward to. Today it is a piece of sun dried tomato focaccia to go with my mushroom stoganoff. I also make the decision in advance that, however tempting the buffet looks, I will not be putting the sausages on my plate.
· Avoid temptation. For me, that means keeping out of MacDonald’s. It also means that I will avoid people who challenge my resolve. When I announced my decision on Facebook, one of my “friends” told me he was going to waft a bacon sandwich in front of my nose. I may need to avoid him for a while.
· Get support. One of my best friends is vegetarian, and has been for several years. Speaking to her regularly is very helpful and she gives me lots of recipe tips and encouragement.
Remember the reasons. I feel a lot healthier, and a lot better about myself. I’m also feeling slightly smug at finding out that I can do something I had never thought I’d be capable of.

If any of this looks familiar, it’s because it’s the same framework of advice given by Alcoholics Anonymous to those giving up alcohol, and Narcotics Anonymous to those giving up drugs. Within the framework of a twelve-step programme, these simple principles have helped many thousands of people achieve sobriety and turn their lives around.

While it may be much harder to give up an addiction than it is to give up meat, I can testify that it really does work.

LawCare’s free and confidential helpline is available 9-7.30 Monday-Friday, 10-4 weekends, on:
0800 279 6888 (Solicitors, Law Students and Legal Executives in England and Wales)
0800 279 6869 (Solicitors, Advocates and Law Students in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man)
0800 018 4299 (Barristers, Clerks and Judges in England and Wales)
1800 991801 (Solicitors in the Republic of Ireland)
1800 303145 (Barristers in the Republic of Ireland)