Law Times

Law Times • apriL 25, 2016 Page 11 www.lawtimesnews.com Approach pays off in productivity Lawyer wellness top priority for firms BY MICHAEL MCKIERNAN For Law Times L aw is not a nine-to-five job." Those words, delivered to Lauren Bernardi by her articling principal, are burned into her memory, almost as viv- id as when she first heard them more than two decades ago. But rather than making them a mantra by which to lead her professional life, Bernardi has spent her career reacting against her mentor's advice: "I thought: well, why not?" Bernardi says. "Of course, it can't be all the time, but it's the idea that the law works in a certain way, and you can't deviate from it; that's what I didn't like." Just three years after her 1992 call, she founded her own firm, Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP in Mississauga, Ont., where the wellness of lawyers and other employees is a top priority. She says creating a positive work environment is particu- larly important in the legal pro- fession, since lawyers tend to be disproportionately represented among sufferers of mental ill- ness in all its various forms com- pared with other professionals. A recent Australian study also showed the levels of substance use and abuse among lawyers in that country was double the level of other professions. In response to these issues, last fall, the Canadian Bar Asso- ciation launched Mental Health and Wellness in the Legal Pro- fession, an online educational course designed to raise aware- ness among lawyers, as well as help them with treatment and prevention options. Bernardi says it's a move she welcomes. "As lawyers, we are fine advis- ing clients about problems, but we're not so good at recognizing them in ourselves. It's like we're afraid to admit weakness, or to acknowledge that we have needs, too," she says. However, that attitude is slowly changing, according to Dana Schindelka, chairman of the CBA Wellness Forum. "I think there's less of a stig- ma than there used to be about mental illness in the legal profes- sion," says Schindelka, a partner in the Calgary office of DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. As a result, he says more firms are embracing wellness programs with a focus both on dealing with mental health is- sues when they arise, and on preventing them from develop- ing in the first place. Everyone involved stands to benefit, ac- cording to Schindelka. "It depends on the firm. In certain ones, the progress is greater than in others," he says. "Helping lawyers and their im- mediate families with mental health and wellness helps with loss prevention. It makes lawyers less likely to embezzle or make serious mistakes that jeopardize clients. Healthy lawyers tend to stay in the profession longer, do better work, and do more of it." Bernardi's firm is the only law firm taking part in a case study run by the Mental Health Commission of Canada to test its National Standard for Psy- chological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The voluntary set of guidelines and tools are aimed at maintaining employ- ees' psychological health in the workplace. "That was the driver for some of our initiatives. We took a step back, and looked at what we need to address the factors they identify," Bernardi says. The firm has regular retreats, and has incorporated medita- tion into business affairs, in- cluding at the start of each part- nership meeting. One day a month is also set aside as "Feel-Good Friday" at her firm, with the centrepiece being an hour-long team- building activity involving the entire staff of nine lawyers and six support staff. "It's always something for low or no cost, so things like play- ing board games, silly and fun crafts, a waff le bar, or learning to meditate," Bernardi says. "One thing that might be dif- ferent from other team-building exercises is that attendance is mandatory. You have to treat it as if it's a court appearance. You don't get to double-book or blow it off because something more important came up." And Bernardi says the ap- proach pays off in productiv- ity terms, with very low absence rates among lawyers and staff who buy into the philosophy. "There's a very positive energy and a collaborative spirit," she says. At larger firms, too, wellness has taken off, according to Nor- man Steinberg, chairman of Nor- ton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. "Our most important re- source, without question, are the people who walk in and out of our doors every day. So we spend a lot of time thinking about how to ensure their well-being," he says. "You don't have to go back that far to a time when you wouldn't have had this conversa- tion at all, but I think one of the current realities in professional organizations and corporations is that they are more aware of all these issues." The firm's "comprehensive health and wellness program" was cited as one of the reasons it was named to the Mediacorp Canada list of Greater Toronto's Top Employers for 2016, includ- ing its mental health first aid training program. Employees who take the 12- hour course are trained to spot warning signs in colleagues working in a notoriously high- pressure profession. LT FOCUS CANADA & USA 1.800.265.8381 | EMAIL info@mckellar.com | www.mckellar.com The reason why we are Canada's largest and most comprehensive structured settlement firm has everything to do with our passion for service and performance— without exaggeration, we make life easier for you. Almost as accurate as McKellar. The world's most precise clock loses less than a second every five billion years... Untitled-3 1 2016-01-06 9:45 AM Norman Steinberg's firm has a men- tal health first aid training program. Employees who take the course are trained to spot warning signs in colleagues. "

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