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By Hon. Helen W. Marchal, Marion Superior Court
Not long ago, while at work, the pediatrician’s office called me wondering why Kate and I missed her annual check-up. Despite the fact her appointment was on my iPhone calendar, my desk calendar, as well as the calendar that hangs in the kitchen pantry, I’d completely forgotten.
After rescheduling the appointment, I turned around to my desk covered with research for an order due the next day, memorandums I needed to read, a draft of jury instructions, notes for an upcoming hearing and the day’s to-do list, with nothing checked off as completed. In trying to do it all, in both my professional and personal lives, I realized I wasn’t doing well in either.
Now, in retrospect, I understand missing my daughter’s appointment wasn’t that big of a deal. But at the time, it seemed to be. What was a simple misstep manifested into something much more grim; tangible proof that my work-life balance was anything but balanced.
This experience is far from unique, according to Dr. Kevin Coss, MD, recently retired from Community Health Network as both an internist and as the Network’s first Chief Wellness Officer. Dr. Coss explains that recognizing the signs of impending burnout is difficult due to the challenging nature of legal work. “In such a highly demanding career, we begin to normalize extreme stress. This, in turn, reduces self-awareness; we convince ourselves that we’re okay and things aren’t really that bad.”
In his recent IndyBar CLE presentation “When Working Harder Isn’t Working,” Coss described burnout as a silent epidemic within the legal profession. Recent studies paint a sobering picture: approximately 51% of lawyers, identifying as mid-or senior-level associates, report experiencing symptoms of burnout. One in four in the legal profession report experiencing clinical depression—a rate significantly higher than the general population. And instead of seeking treatment from a trained professional, many lawyers use alcohol as a coping mechanism, with more than 20% qualifying as problem drinkers. Judges aren’t faring much better. A 2020 ABA survey of judicial officers reported that nearly one in five surveyed met at least one criterion for a depressive disorder. Note: “When Working Harder Isn’t Working” is available as an IndyBar on-demand CLE, offering one hour of ethics credit, www.indybar.org/CLE.
Coss finds commonalities between the medical and legal professions: overwhelming workloads, high stakes, self-imposed perfectionism, and professional pressure. “Both are careers with great responsibility and little control over the work environment. Some lawyers, just like physicians, are on-call 24/7. The culture of law school, I suspect, is similar to medical school where self-sacrifice is valued over self-care, and the client always comes first.”
These pressures, according to Coss, may create a “distorted reality” for individuals, making it more difficult to identify early-on that there’s a problem. When symptoms go unrecognized, or there’s a conscious choice not to seek help, “unaddressed burnout increases the risk for other mental health issues, substance abuse, and even suicide.”
Dr. Coss encourages legal professionals take a deeper look at how they’re feeling and consider whether they are experiencing any of the following: increased anxiety, disrupted sleep, exhaustion, worsened mood, or depression. A significant decrease in work productivity or increase in mistakes made at work, also may be symptomatic of burnout.
Missing my daughter’s pediatrician appointment served as a wake-up call. I realized I needed help with feeling overextended, isolated, unappreciated, and inadequate. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself at work: a six-month judicial well-being program. With help from wonderful facilitators, I began the practice of setting self-preserving boundaries, quieting my inner negativity, and improving professional resilience. Sharing experiences with other participating judges from around the state also proved invaluable.
So, to my fellow attorneys and judges: your well-being is not a luxury but rather a professional necessity. Recognizing you’re burned out or close to it, is not a weakness. Finding support, in whatever form, is a courageous commitment to personal growth and professional sustainability.
The legal profession demands our intellect, our compassion, and our integrity. We can only deliver these consistently when we first take care of ourselves.•
Hon. Helen W. Marchal is a Marion Superior Court 26 judge. She’s been on the bench for over six years. Previously, she worked as a city prosecutor for the City of Indianapolis. Judge Marchal is very involved with IndyBar. In addition to being the chair of the Well-Being Committee, she is the Immediate Past Chair of the Women & the Law Division. She earned her undergraduate degree from Indiana University and her J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
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