Finding Sanity During Times of Uncertainty

It's a tough world out there right now. COVID-19 has affected essentially everyone and every possible industries everywhere (mostly negatively, except for timely businesses such as Clorox and Walmart). Within the legal industry, times are getting really tough with economy slowing down quickly, which creates further uncertainty for law students and junior associates.

"Would I be hired back?"

"Can I still meet target? And if I don't, what's going to happen?"

"Would my department be downsizing?"

"Are we heading into global recession? Is this 2008 all over again?"

These are questions that you may be asking yourself, and truthfully, I don't think anyone can give you a clear answer right now. No one knows when COVID-19 will go away, if at all, and with media platforms firing on all cylinders, the public is in mass panic mode. However, there are certain things that you can control during this time of chaos that hopefully will put you more at ease:

Stay Educated

This is a two-prong advice: stay educated as a legal professional and also stay educated in regards to COVID-19.

During the down times, although you cannot bill as much (unless you are in timely practice such as insolvency, immigration and labour & employment law), you can certainly make good use of the extra time professionally - write articles, get your CPDs through online sessions, stay updated with the law in your area(s) of practice, build your precedents, etc. There's a lot that you can do at home to further enhance your skill set.

Personally, this would be a good time for you to learn about our healthcare system, what COVID-19 is, what outbreak is, what public health measures are usually in place during times of pandemic, why social distancing matters, what preventive tools are available etc. from official sources. You should follow sources such as WHO, CDC and PHAC, and read official announcements and publications from official healthcare regulatory bodies, health authorities and medical journals. Part of the chaos is due to uncertainty and the unknowns, and we are constantly being bombarded with conflicting information virtually. It's difficult for the general public to weed out the false information and it's tempting to believe in what you find on Google instead of your healthcare professionals. I can attest to this as a public health professional who had to deal with anti-vaxxers. Please do not blindly believe in hearsay and unproven stories from unofficial sources. False rumors often spread faster than the virus itself, and ignorance and misinformation can kill.

Stay Connected

While physical gathering is strongly discouraged as we practice social distancing, you can and should continue to stay connected with your peers virtually. You may attend online conferences together, participate in online discussion groups, or just send a simple greeting message to see how they are doing.

As many sectors are affected, it is also a good opportunity to re-connect with peers outside of law whom you may have lost touch with due to each other's previously busy schedule. You never know what opportunities may arise, and even for non-business purposes, it is important and therapeutic to reach out to others during times of self-isolation which can be unsettling. Connections and networks go a long way, so stay connected.

Stay Healthy and Prepared

This is pretty much common sense. You need to do your best to stay active and healthy during isolation periods, period. With a weaker immune system, you'll be more vulnerable to COVID-19, and if you're sick, you can't work or take care of not just yourself but also others. Don't just binge on snacks and watch Netflix all day during your newly discovered free time - have a balanced diet, drink plenty of water and maintain basic exercise routines at home.

If you've never saved for rainy days and prepared contingency plans, I hope the current crisis would encourage you to do so. Economic downturn can happen cyclically and inevitably it will affect your job security and forecast. Lawyer is a high-income profession and for young lawyers, it is understandably tempting to spend proportionally with the expectation that such income stream is consistent and will only increase over time. It's time to prepare a financial plan to diversify your income sources, set budget plans, and monitor your expenses carefully to create a more sustainable and prepared future for yourself. You may choose to solely rely on financial advisory services to manage your financial plan, but I'd strongly suggest that you should learn about the foundations of investments and financial planning yourself as well. Attending online seminars for beginners, watching YouTube videos, listening to podcasts and reading books on these topics would all be beneficial.

All in all, stay safe and compliant with the public health guidelines and measures during the tough times!