A new report looking at mental illness in the legal profession has concluded that billable targets are causing depression amongst lawyers. And it suggests that the focus on hours is akin to bullying.
The snappily-titled Report on Psychological Distress and Depression in the Legal Profession was commissioned by the Law Society of Western Australia. It was concerned by the increase in cases of anxiety, stress and depression amongst lawyers, according to a Lawyers' Weekly report. And the report's authoring committee came to the less-than-surprising conclusion that "adopting an unhealthy focus on billable hours in measuring employee performance" is not generally filling them with joy and can amount to bullying.
The committee referred to myriad complaints from young lawyers about "the unsatisfactory nature of legal work in a time billing environment." Its conclusions are pretty damning about the hours culture, blaming it for the fact that "clever young lawyers are leaving the profession in droves". All thanks to a working environment which "....discourages professionalism and reduces work satisfaction to unacceptable levels." According to the report, swathes of disillusioned lawyers are heading off to corporates, the government and NGOs, where performance is measured by outcomes rather than how long you can function without sleep.
The debate about the scourge of the billable hour has been pretty rampant in Australia for a while now, with frequent calls to find better ways of getting clients to part with their cash. And with some firms now scrapping billable hours altogether, it's possible that the reports' recommendations might lead others to follow suit.
Tip Off ROF
The snappily-titled Report on Psychological Distress and Depression in the Legal Profession was commissioned by the Law Society of Western Australia. It was concerned by the increase in cases of anxiety, stress and depression amongst lawyers, according to a Lawyers' Weekly report. And the report's authoring committee came to the less-than-surprising conclusion that "adopting an unhealthy focus on billable hours in measuring employee performance" is not generally filling them with joy and can amount to bullying.
The committee referred to myriad complaints from young lawyers about "the unsatisfactory nature of legal work in a time billing environment." Its conclusions are pretty damning about the hours culture, blaming it for the fact that "clever young lawyers are leaving the profession in droves". All thanks to a working environment which "....discourages professionalism and reduces work satisfaction to unacceptable levels." According to the report, swathes of disillusioned lawyers are heading off to corporates, the government and NGOs, where performance is measured by outcomes rather than how long you can function without sleep.
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Measuring billable hours yesterday |
The debate about the scourge of the billable hour has been pretty rampant in Australia for a while now, with frequent calls to find better ways of getting clients to part with their cash. And with some firms now scrapping billable hours altogether, it's possible that the reports' recommendations might lead others to follow suit.