Looking from the outside in, it’s easy for outsiders to think that lawyers are among the most well-positioned professionals today.
Recently, several surveys have found that lawyers are among the most secure and well-paid workers. In the UK, newly minted lawyers can expect an impressive starting salary of up to £180,000. Meanwhile, partners in the country’s biggest law firms, who belong to the UK’s “magic circle,” like Clifford Chance, can bring home upwards of £2 million.
Aside from this, many law firms now offer some of the most engaging wellness packages. According to a report by The Guardian, these include initiatives such as private healthcare and employee assistance helplines. In reality, though, all that glitters is not gold. Although these lucrative paychecks and well-meaning interventions are valuable, they are representative of a widespread burnout epidemic. In light of this, while the aforementioned efforts regarding better pay and benefits are still important, many industry leaders are tapping tech to shoulder some of the workplace burden.
Why lawyers are exhausted and tapping out
Before anything else, it’s important to understand why lawyers are burning out. For starters, surveyed lawyers in the UK note that they’ve felt increasing pressure to work longer hours and more days. For instance, London-based lawyers working for top US law firms admitted that working past 10 pm is the norm. This means that responding lawyers clock in about 12 hours a day. Additionally, many have said they’ve had to give up weekends, holidays, and even breaks. In line with this, a Law Care survey determined that 28% of respondents felt like they had to be available 24/7, and another 65% often had to check their emails outside of working hours.
Aside from these, internally toxic workplace environments are also negatively impacting lawyers’ wellbeing. Because many of the industry’s old guards feel that they need to instill in younger workers an “all or nothing” approach, abusive cycles are often perpetuated in law firms. Even relatively younger workers in more senior positions can put immense and undue strain on their subordinates, thinking this is part of “paying their dues.” Often, firms also pressure lawyers to take on more work to increase billable hours. In many cases, this is reflected in varying degrees of negative interactions. As per a 2021 Life in Law study, one in five lawyers reported bullying, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace.
These issues are arguably even worse among legal aid lawyers. On average, these lawyers are paid a much smaller salary of just about £21,000 annually and often have to overload themselves to accommodate the vast number of clients they serve. All in all, this has led some insiders to say the UK is becoming under-lawyered. Aside from the fact that the Great Resignation already saw mass droves of lawyers quitting, Pinsent Masons says that another 37% have thought about leaving their jobs for the sake of their mental health.
How new tech is addressing legal pain points
Regardless of whether a lawyer is employed by legal aid or a larger private firm, though, workloads continue to expand with the advent of the internet bringing in more cases and clients, including remote ones. Given the above, it’s clear that while the hurdles in the legal sector are complex, most can be tied back to excessive workloads. This exaggerated amount of responsibilities per lawyer is causing swollen work hours, extended workdays, and increasingly unrealistic expectations from higher-ups. As such, investing in more legal technology is a wise and timely decision among the field’s decision-makers.
Usually powered by some level of AI and machine learning, these advanced tech tools can alleviate some stress from burnt-out lawyers by taking on more menial or technical tasks. One such innovation that’s making waves for its practicality and convenience is contract drafting software. The software from Definely helps lawyers spend less time drafting legal documents and more time on more pressing work – and this is the only tool of its kind. Using a singular streamlined platform that’s compatible with existing MS Word workflow, the software lets lawyers access and edit all information within the active drafting stage of the contract lifecycle. This means that rather than tediously searching through numerous documents to cross-reference terms and data points, the software easily pulls all these up alongside the current contract a lawyer is working on. Just through this, a lawyer can cut out the extra work hours they would’ve spent on doing this on their own.
Another legal pain point that tech is addressing is putting together determinations. In any case, lawyers are asked to spend precious hours sieving through evidence, precedents, and existing laws. This is a sensitive and precise effort, as layered nuance is necessary to see connections between past cases and present client concerns. In the 1990s, the weight of this task was so oppressive that even unqualified law firm staffers would be asked to assist. Nowadays, though, more firms are embracing AI-powered case management solutions to this end. For example, Keoghs’ “Lauri” software is designed to work in personal injury cases. Capable of avoiding and preventing any overlaps despite working with multiple organisations, it can collate and assess all relevant information (like police statements and medical reports). Afterwards, it can form a case with matching determinations. Since this can run without human intervention, this helps law firms save on costs while allowing lawyers to focus on client service and risk mitigation.
Of course, it’s important to note that these tech innovations are not meant to take on the hardest cases. Because these headscratchers need a human’s more compassionate touch, lawyers will still be taking the lead on these at all times. As such, extended work hours cannot totally be eradicated. That said, since more “menial” tasks can be offloaded to automation and tech, it at least provides significant relief for the overworked. While there are yet to be any studies verifying just how these technologies can directly impact the worrying issue of lawyer burnout, their adoption is a definite step in the right direction toward more humane and realistic working conditions.
