From the President

First, I’d like to wish you a “Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day,” which you will be celebrating on the 23rd of this month. We know how important your role is to your firm’s productivity and how you are counted on to make things run smoothly. And, for that, you are highly commended!

This month’s feature article focuses on ways to overcome possible “office burnout” which can easily stem from heavier workloads and pressure to work more quickly and efficiently. We hope you find the strategies outlined in the article informative and that you can use them as a reference tool, if needed.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and comments to The Reporter, and we encourage you to send in articles you have written or humorous tidbits for “The Lighter Side.”

Best regards,
Sheila Atkinson-Baker

Avoid Office Burnout: Strategies for Legal Professionals

By Sherry Hurst
Administrator of Fox Galvin, LLC

In today’s economy, law firms are striving to achieve maximum productivity. Employees are taking on a heavier workload than ever before. This environment offers legal administrators at all levels a wide range of exciting new opportunities that provide the potential for significant intellectual and financial rewards.

Accompanying this dynamic environment are increased pressures — most profoundly, the demand to work with greater efficiency and speed. As stimulating and fulfilling as the contemporary legal atmosphere can be, there is also the possibility of a downside: the chance that in your eagerness to maximize your skills and take advantage of the profession’s many possibilities, you will spread yourself too thin and become burned out. Here are a few pointers for helping you recognize possible warning signals and take appropriate action:

Understand the Cause

The best way to prevent burnout is to recognize and avoid situations that cause it. Keep in mind that stress is not necessarily a sign of overwork. In many law firms and departments, morale can reach a peak when legal administrators and other staff members are actively immersed in a number of compelling assignments and cases.
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