Divorce attorney stress is most often the result of being overworked and having clients have unrealistic expectations. The two factors put together can put quite a burden on a lawyer.
While being a divorce attorney certainly has a number of benefits (namely,
compelling cases, interesting clients, lots of courtroom experience), it is also possible that many of these same attractions could become problematic. This could result in your practice becoming too stressful, and you facing the prospect of getting burned out too quickly.
There can be a lot of pressures on a lawyer going through a domestic dispute. This can be the result of a whole lot of unprocessed emotions that the divorce attorney is subject to. Moreover, most clients do not really know what to expect from a court, and this could be their first interaction with the legal process. In other words, because the client is learning much of what is happening for the first time, you may find that you are teaching your client a lot about the law, the court system, and the judges.
In addition to this, it is difficult to imagine that there will not be something that your client will lose on compared to what they enjoyed during the marriage. In other words, during the marriage your client likely enjoyed full and unfettered access to their children. But, upon separating, your client will likely lose at least some access to what they previously enjoyed. The same principle applies to financial issues that arise in the course and scope of family law. While you, as a divorce attorney, may know from experience that your clients may not be able to enjoy all that they did while married, you clients may not know this.
In addition to this, it can be hard not to feel for what your clients are going through. This may be one of the most stressful and challenging things that they have gone through. As a result, it is possible that some of the tension that your client’s are experiencing will be felt vicariously by you, as their divorce attorney and the person that they may turn to when problems arise. In addition to this, you may also have to deal with clients may be excessively demanding and put large amounts of pressure on you to figure out how to address their case. The combination of these two factors could cause you to experience higher than normal stress levels.
Also, while the practice of law as a divorce attorney can be quite lucrative, it seems unwise to push yourself to the point of complete exhaustion. While this can be intuitive, it may be important to remind yourself that by pushing too hard and taking on too many clients and too much work, you may be doing a disservice both to yourself and your future clients. This is because if you overwhelmed with work, you will not likely be able to accept more clients, thereby limiting yourself and your legal services to the community.
The above material is intended for information purposes only. It is not intended as professional legal advice and should not be construed as such. Will Beaumont practices law in New Orleans, LA, and Metairie, LA.
