Health is Wealth

Musings of a Law Firm Partner: Health is Wealth?

The law as a profession is one that inherently encourages an unhealthy lifestyle. In my case 25 years of constant travel, hotel food, client entertainment at calorific (but often amazing) restaurants, Deliveroo and all its variants over the years due to being in the office at all hours, often seven days a week for sometimes months on end. On top of that we face immense stress as a function of the job (which is in effect being a stress surrogate to relieve clients of their stress about their dispute or transaction, stress of finding new clients and business as a partner, and then sometimes stress about getting paid for that work), surviving on minimal sleep almost as a constant state, along with the tensions of home life where work intrudes so much that you miss important occasions and let people down. I personally believe that like anything, the only way to excel at this vocation is obsession. In litigation there is little room for mistakes and the stakes are high. The best people I have worked with all over the world share this single mindedness, but it comes at a price. I have worked through countless illnesses, been hospitalised more than once due to complete exhaustion and my body failing me but I have always got back onto the horse after a few days on a drip (where I still did emails whenever I was able). The one area I neglected was my health, and I used to be of the view that a fit lawyer was someone whom simply didn't do the job properly or was cutting lots of corners as (at least for me) there was barely enough time in the day for a few hours sleep a night and no margin for exercise. The stress also led me to bad eating habits and so in effect I was compounding a problem. About 10 years ago I started to get quite severe back pain from time to time (caused by sitting in an office chair for 12-14 hours straight). The third time this rendered me bedridden for a few days I took up some exercise designed to strengthen my back which I have done ever since and thankfully not had this recur.

More recently I have been very tired (the last few years have been awful for everyone and this seemed to accelerate my health issues) and I have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea. In essence you don't really sleep properly and stop breathing many times during the night. This is a condition that can cause strokes and heart attacks. I have just turned 50. Most people get diagnosed with this in their 60s and 70s. Fortunately there are therapies available and I am using them, but it did strike me that my total focus on my vocation at the expense of my health was not optimal. Looking back I wish that I had done little things such as been more thoughtful about food and alcohol and watched my weight better than I have. I would never be a Calvin Klein model but if I had made my health more of a focus (even in a modest way) I wonder if I would be facing the same health issues I now need to address. I am still of the view that you cannot give 100% to two things and that an "all in" lawyer cannot also be a model of physical perfection, unless they sacrifice other things such as family life, have exceptional genetics or simply don't need to sleep at all.

In law there is no "work smarter not harder" option, and whilst there are efficiencies that have help eliminate tasks over the years, ultimately its very much down to the lawyer on their feet to have mastery of the facts and the law, as well as being able to instantaneously address new and unexpected evidence or arguments and pivot your own case. This is only possible through very hard work. Whilst the new generation of lawyers sometimes seem unwilling to make this type of commitment (certainly not all of them although it seems a theme which keeps coming up) I am of the view that those that succeed in the profession will be the ones whom really commit to it and this will come into sharp focus over the coming years as the realities of legal practice and client demands have the result that many may leave the profession as there seems to be a growing perception gap about what needs to be done (the level of intensity, timing and rigour) and what some are willing to do.

As someone who has climbed the mountain of law firm partnership and had a measure of success I encourage young lawyers to embrace their obsession. To love what you do is a great gift and even if it's sometimes hard is hugely rewarding (in a personal sense as well as improving your own prospects of being successful). The journey will be hard, sometimes very hard, but fun. You will want that journey to last as long as you have the will and the energy to continue and not to let your body let you down or make the choice for you. To do this we ought to acknowledge that the job puts huge stress on each of us and manage our health in that light. Watch your diet, find some time for exercise a few times a week (even if just for 30 minutes), keep up your hobbies (or get one if you have none) even in a de-minimus way, ensure you prioritise family time as much as you can (acknowledging that it won't be perfect or as much as you would like) and have regular health check ups to head off any problems before they arise. These are small things which together will keep you physically and mentally well and doing the job you love, spending your (life)time wisely.

These are just some of my own observations of the things which I feel that I could have done better on my journey so far. I am addressing all of them to ensure that I can continue my work as a lawyer for decades to come.