Most
of
us
are
familiar
with
the
old
adage,
“Choose
a
job
you
love,
and
you
will
never
have
to
work
a
day
in
your
life.”
Lucky
for
me,
I
love
being
an
attorney.
From
my
very
first
experience
as
a
Biglaw
associate
(over
27
years
ago),
I
knew
with
certainty
that
practicing
law
was
the
right
choice.
However,
early
on,
I
began
to
question
the
personal
sacrifices
that
seemed
to
go
along
with
this
career
path.
I
could
see
the
toll
being
paid
by
those
senior
to
me
–
even
the
equity
partners
–
who
were
in
the
office
until
8
p.m.,
10
p.m.,
or
even
after
midnight
almost
every
night.
The
obvious
lack
of
work-life
balance
was
my
tell-tale,
and
I
decided
to
choose
a
different
path
by
going
in-house.
Imagine
my
reaction,
then,
when
I
realized
that
attorney
burnout
was
also
an
issue
in
that
environment.
As
GC
of
a
public
company,
I
found
myself
working
countless
hours,
taking
calls
well
into
the
night,
and
juggling
the
pressure
to
“do
it
all”
in
the
name
of
cost
savings.
Once
again,
work
was
impacting
other
important
priorities
in
my
life
(especially
my
young
family),
as
well
as
my
well-being
and
enjoyment
of
the
practice
of
law.
Love
the
work,
hate
the
job
Unfortunately,
my
experience
is
not
unique.
For
years
now,
studies
consistently
have
shown
that
the
legal
profession
can
be
grueling
both
for
law
firm
attorneys
and
in-house
legal
teams.
Research
conducted
by
industry
leaders
like
the
International
Bar
Association,
American
Bar
Association,
The
American
Lawyer,
Yale
Law
Professors,
the
Hazelden
Betty
Ford
Foundation,
and
the
Institute
for
Well-Being
in
Law
have
resulted
in
numerous
publications
on
this
topic,
all
of
which
cite
unreasonable
demands,
feelings
of
isolation,
and
a
lack
of
control
over
one’s
personal
life
as
possible
causal
factors,
among
others.
What
is
worse
is
the
fact
that
these
feelings
have
been
tied
to
poor
physical
and
mental
health,
high
rates
of
substance
abuse
and
suicide,
and
decisions
to
abandon
the
profession
entirely.
Industry
leaders
are
taking
notice.
Just
this
year,
the
Association
of
Corporate
Counsel
has
published
a
“Well-Being
Toolkit
for
In-House
Lawyers.”
The
business
impact
of
attorney
burnout
is
equally
troubling.
For
example,
talent
retention
has
become
a
real
challenge
for
law
firms
and
in-house
legal
departments.
When
a
lawyer
decides
to
leave,
the
costs
associated
with
their
departure
are
significant.
Previous
investments
in
their
professional
development
are
essentially
lost,
workload
reassignments
add
further
strain
on
existing
staff,
and
client
work
can
suffer
from
lack
of
continuity.
Although
recent
strides
in
mental
health
awareness
have
made
it
easier
for
attorneys
to
seek
help,
much
has
remained
the
same.
Case
in
point
–
overzealous
billable
hour
requirements
are
still
the
foundation
of
most
traditional
law
firm
business
models,
resulting
in
tremendous
pressure
to
produce
and
to
do
so
perfectly.
Finding
a
way
forward
In
order
to
address
what
ails
the
legal
profession,
change
has
to
come
from
the
top
and
the
culture
has
to
be
wholly
amended.
Fortunately,
innovative
law
firms
like
OGC
have
emerged,
offering
an
appealing
alternative
to
the
traditional
legal
business
model.
When
I
joined
OGC
in
2015,
the
notion
of
work-life
balance
was
not
merely
a
lofty
ideal;
it
was
and
still
is
a
core
value
of
the
firm.
Our
business
model
embodies
this
value
by
allowing
attorneys
to
choose
how
and
when
they
work
(no
billable
hour
demands).
This
autonomy
has
been
a
game-changer;
and,
as
we
say,
it
is
a
big
reason
why
OGC
is
an
Easy
to
Work
For
(#ETWF)
law
firm.
Because
our
attorneys
love
what
they
do
and
are
happy
doing
it,
our
model
also
offers
tremendous
benefits
to
clients.
One
of
these
benefits
is
relief
from
the
burnout
dangers
outlined
above,
which
we
do
by
serving
as
an
additional
resource
that
our
clients’
legal
departments
can
leverage
when
needed
most.
This
is
particularly
valuable
when,
despite
tight
budgets
and
light
staffing,
they
still
need
to
turn
work
around
quickly
and
have
matters
done
right
the
first
time.
That
extra
help
can
make
all
the
difference.
Simply
engaging
us
to
do
what
we
do
best
can
reinvigorate
legal
department
staff.
It
also
enables
our
clients
to
exhibit
(at
least
in
one
significant
way)
a
definitive
commitment
to
maintaining
valuable
wellness
practices,
raising
awareness
of
burnout-related
issues
and
fostering
an
environment
where
attorneys
really
want
to
work,
thereby
helping
them
to
do
their
best
work
while
keeping
that
bottom
line
in
check.
A
partner
at
OGC,
Kristin
Kreuder
has
over
25
years
of
experience
working
with
both
public
and
private
companies
of
all
sizes
(from
start-ups
to
well-seasoned
corporate
giants),
as
well
as
individual
entrepreneurs.
She
regularly
handles
a
wide
range
of
legal
matters,
including
the
analysis,
structure,
drafting
and
negotiation
of
a
comprehensive
variety
of
agreements
related
to
commercial
transactions,
M&A,
financing
and
private
equity
transactions,
venture
capital,
licensing,
marketing
and
sponsorship
(including
IP/content/software),
and
general
corporate
issues.