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It’s 2024! Cue the ‘new year, new me’ vows, right?

But maybe this is the year for ‘new year, less garbage from the last year’.

Maybe 2023 was a rough year for you, or maybe it went great. Either way, there’s no doubt there are some habits we should leave in 2023.

Ignoring your needs and your wellbeing

We know that law is a demanding and challenging industry to work in. The demands on its members are high, the challenges are plentiful (both technical challenges and social/cultural challenges) and it can impact our health and wellbeing if we’re not careful.

It shouldn’t be that we have to burn out before we realise that we need to take care of ourselves. If we’re unwell or stressed, we’re no good to anyone, including ourselves. So do whatever you need to do to recharge your battery and replenish your soul. You’ll thank yourself for it, I promise!

This also extends to what we need to support us at work. The right to reasonable adjustments for disabled employees is enshrined in law, and often what helps us can help the rest of our team. But regardless, no one should feel they have to ignore what they need at work that’ll help them be at their best. It’s always worth raising it with your supervisor and starting that conversation.

Internal competition

You’re not just assessed on how well you work with others in assessment centres, but throughout your training contract and employment too. However, competing with your colleagues will just make you difficult to work with.

I think it’s best to treat your colleagues as if they were your ‘internal’ clients. This helps build a good working relationship with the people you spend eight or more hours a day with and also helps you practise and refine your own client care skills. I’d say that the only time you’re allowed to compete against your colleagues or supervisors is in sports or social gatherings, where there are games involved like darts or go-karting. That’s a fun competition, rather than one that’ll make you uncooperative and difficult.

Comparison culture

We’re all on social media now, so we spend a lot of time comparing where we are in our life with where someone else is. We even do this with people we don’t know personally. It’s important to remember that we all curate our social media pages to project the best possible version of us that we can. Usually, social media doesn’t give a nuanced picture of someone’s life and the challenges they face.

It does us no favours to compare our journey to someone else’s. It’s a well-trodden phrase, but we shouldn’t compare our chapter one to someone else’s chapter 20. That’s why it’s important to stick to healthy comparisons. For example, it’s good to have a friend or colleague that you can turn to for support or talk to about challenges you’re facing. The legal profession can be challenging; it’s good to know others are having similar experiences to you.

Worrying about asking too many questions

We’re all guilty of this, let’s be real!

Whether it’s blind pride or fronting that you know what you’re doing, we all avoid asking questions sometimes. However, it’s perfectly normal to ask questions to get clarity, check your understanding, or because you simply don’t know the answer.

I mean, we can’t know what we don’t know, right? It’s not our fault when we don’t know something, but it’s our responsibility to keep on top of our training and development.

Remember, it’s ok to ask for help. There are times when I struggle to find the right words to say. Sometimes I find that other members of my community can articulate what I want to say so much better, which is a big help with my work. This isn’t limited to just the neurodivergent communities; everyone can have times when help and teamwork is essential for success.  

Here’s a secret too: even the best lawyers don’t know everything. They ask questions every day in order to provide the best service to clients.

Passive aggressiveness in emails

How many times have we sent or received a passive aggressive email (be honest, we’ve all done it!). And what has the response been? More likely than not, it’s been more passive aggressiveness, right?

But realistically, this gets us nowhere, whether it’s in work, applications or everyday life.

In assessment centres, you’re assessed not just on your technical and commercial acumen, but on how well you can work with others. Peacocking is more likely to get you passed on than offered a training contract!

This is an especially important point for litigators. Litigation is often seen to be ‘us v them’ and confrontational in nature. However, the best litigators are respectful in communications, collaborative with counterparts and can understand the other party’s position.

People will remember how you treat them, not just in law but in life too. No one will enjoy or want to work with you if you have a bad attitude.

Can you think of any more bad habits that we should leave behind? If so, don’t be afraid to start a conversation and support your peers in becoming the best versions of themselves!