Ethics in a High-Stress, High-Stakes Legal Work Environment

The stress of working in a high-stakes legal environment often negatively affects attorneys and their office culture. This can manifest itself in many different ways – including sapping productivity and creativity, hampering attorney engagement, and causing attorney attrition. These negative effects are often in tension with the ethical responsibilities of lawyers under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. 

In this course, Cynthia Pong, an organizational consultant and former public defender, presents an easy-to-follow primer on recognizing the effects of a high-stress legal environment on attorneys and office culture, as well as practical steps that can be taken in order to improve attorney productivity, engagement, and creativity in the legal work environment. 

Learning Objectives:

I.     Identify signs that attorneys are being negatively affected by a high-stress legal environment

II.    Learn methods and practices to systematically address these negative effects and ensure compliance with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct

III.   Develop a strategic plan to implement these methods and practices in the legal workplace