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84 UMKC L. Rev. 987 (2015-2016)
Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: What Lawyers Need to Know

handle is hein.journals/umkc84 and id is 1013 raw text is: BURNOUT AND COMPASSION FATIGUE: WHAT LAWYERS NEED TO KNOW Lee Norton, Ph.D., M.S.W., Jennifer Johnson, Esq., & George Woods, MD* Burnout and compassion fatigue are not unique to individuals who work in social welfare or the mental health professions. Ironically, lawyers are more susceptible to these problems. This is sofor several reasons, notably the extreme value placed on competition, self-sufficiency, and abnegating individual emotional needs; the isolated work conditions characteristic of most law practices; and the effect of the adversarial system on all spheres of professional and personal lfe. Burnout and compassion fatigue cause chronic health problems, poor job performance, substance abuse and other forms of self-medication, and impoverished relationships. Attorneys must understand the dynamics, symptoms and effective intervention for burnout and compassion fatigue in order to provide competent representation. Burnout and compassion fatigue are related conditions that result from exposure to distressing or traumatic experiences. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are differences worth noting since the two problems can exist individually or together. I. BURNOUT Burnout results from a discrepancy between expectations and outcomes, or the perceived needs of a task exceeding the perceived resources.' It is caused by a combination of factors spanning personality traits to organizational culture.2 Individuals who are especially idealistic, have poor personal and professional boundaries, find themselves in jobs that do not match their skills and interests, and define themselves by their work, are more vulnerable to burnout.3 Similarly, organizations characterized by unrealistic expectations, lack of collaborative * Lee Norton, Ph.D., M.S.W. is founder and owner of the Center for Trauma Therapy in Nashville, TN. She is board certified in forensic traumatologist and Fellow, American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She has taught extensively in the areas of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue in attorneys and other forensic personnel. Jennifer Johnson, J.D. is a practicing criminal defense attorney in San Francisco. She is a founder of San Francisco's Behavioral Health Court and teaches at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law. George Woods, MD, FAPA is a neuropsychiatrist, practicing in Oakland, California. He teaches at Morehouse School of Medicine and the University of California-Berkeley School of Law. He is President of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health. The authors would like to thank attorneys Thomas Bloom, Jackie Walsh and Michael Passino for their contributions to this Article. Each devoted considerable time to this effort, and provided critical insight about the nature and relevance of the topic. Thomas Bloom is in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee. Jackie Walsh is a partner with Walsh and Larranaga in Seattle, Washington. Michael Passino is with the Federal Public Defenders Office in Nashville, Tennesse. The authors also would like to thank Logan Rothschild, a research assistant in Nashville, Tennessee, for her many hours of diligent and conscientious work on this project. ' Chungsup Lee et al., Low StaffMorale & Burnout: Causes & Solutions, OFFICE OF RECREATION & PARK RESOURCES 1, 2-3 (May 2012), https://illinois.edullb/files/2012/06/01/39974.pdf. 2Id TREATING COMPASSION FATIGUE 4-5 (Charles Figley ed., 2002).

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