How To Overcome Paralegal Burnout And Love Your Job Again

It’s no secret that being a paralegal is stressful and ripe for burnout. Just one day of work can include an ever-growing case load, piles of interview and research notes to sort through, tight deadlines, and demanding clients. And if you’re a paralegal working on trials, you may also be dealing with the added pressure that the quality of your work can impact the outcome of the case. 

And just as paralegal workload increases, so too does the need for more paralegals in the field. In fact, a recent study by Gartner uncovered that legal agencies in the U.S. have replaced 20% of their lawyers with non-lawyer staff, such as paralegals. As the field and workload continue to increase, it’s not surprising that so much burnout occurs. 

Let’s take a look at some factors that induce burnout, strategies to overcome it, and alternative careers for paralegals looking to pivot. 

What Is Paralegal Burnout?

Paralegal burnout is when a paralegal feels recurring exhaustion, brain fog, decreased productivity, and increased unhappiness as a result of stress from their job. 

A paralegal does the important work of assisting an attorney with research, case load management, interviewing, and much more. Legal cases can be extremely complicated, and it’s up to the paralegal to parse through all the documents and case files to synthesize what’s important for the attorney. Add to that the long hours and traumatic stories they hear every day, and it’s easy to see why the profession is ripe for chronic exhaustion and burnout.

What Is The Burnout Rate For Paralegals?

The burnout rate for paralegals is at 29.7%, as almost a third of paralegals surveyed in our recent legal burnout study stated that they experience feelings of burnout "often." 44.1% said they experience is "sometimes," while 6.3% said burnout is a "constant" feeling.

Given most paralegals feel the same way, they are finding ways to commiserate with their fellow legal assistants online. In this Reddit thread, paralegals discuss various factors contributing to their uptick in burnout, including more entitled clients, more cases coming in day-to-day, and the struggle to keep up with billable hours. Several paralegals also mentioned the cyclical nature of the job, where burnout increases surrounding trials or other landmark events, and then recedes when the firm is less busy. 

Causes + Symptoms Of Paralegal Burnout 

Paralegal burnout can be caused by an increased workload with little to no assistance or end in sight. Other factors that may contribute to paralegal burnout include: 

• Tight deadlines
• Higher volume of cases without additional assistance
• Time-consuming, repetitive tasks
• Demanding work that prevents work-life balance
• High-stake cases

Burnout can manifest both physically and mentally. Physically, you may feel increased brain fog, get tired easily, or even experience body pain. Mentally, you may feel more emotional or completely detach from your work. 

Signs of burnout may include: 

• Decreased efficacy at work
• Mental and physical exhaustion
• Brain fog
• Chronic headaches
• Difficulty focusing on your job
• Unhappiness or cynicism 
• Feeling a lack of control over your life

The American Psychological Association (APA) has also linked burnout to risk of physical diseases and disorders, including depressive disorders, hypertension, and Type 2 Diabetes. 

How Burnout Hinders Your Legal Work + Career

The consequences of burnout can impact your body and mind, but can also have far-reaching consequences for your clients. Increased burnout can lead to mistakes, meaning you’re more likely to let crucial information slip through the cracks. As a result, you may miss something in your research that makes the difference between jail time and a not guilty verdict. 

For your firm? There can also be financial implications. According to The Interview Guys, burnout costs the global workforce $322 billion per year. It can also impact your long-term career aspirations, as many law firms may look to a non-visibly stressed colleague when it comes time to determine raises and promotions. 

Tips To Overcome Paralegal Burnout

The good news? Burnout isn’t forever. If you’re at risk of becoming burnt out or you already are, there’s still time to turn it around. Let’s look at some ways you can fall back in love with your work and decrease your feelings of burnout. 

1. Use Technology To Help

Paralegal technology can help take some of the more tedious or repetitive tasks off your plate and automate them, so you can focus on the bigger picture without sacrificing the details. 

For example, AI-powered legal research software like Nexis or Westlaw can help you comb through legal documents, law precedents, and more to quickly find what you’re looking for. Meanwhile, AI-powered transcription software like Rev can help you sift through hours of audio or video interviews by converting them into written documents, generating summaries, and providing insights into how this information can affect the case. 

2. Set Boundaries

Boundaries are essential for many professions, but perhaps none more so than the legal field, where it can be easy to work overtime in the name of your client’s innocence. Setting boundaries will help you avoid working countless late nights, taking on more than you can handle, or getting in over your head. 

You can set boundaries by: 

• Establishing set working hours and not working beyond those hours for non-emergency situations. 
• Not answering emails, texts, or messages after your working hours, and making sure your colleagues know that you aren’t available. 
• Taking PTO when you can (and actually being logged off during your vacation time).
• Not working during family or friend events that occur after working hours or on the weekends. 
• Saying no to tasks that are out of scope, would drive your bandwidth up, or that you can’t complete for personal reasons. 

In an interview with Rev, Danielle T. Montalto-Bly of DMB Matrimonial & Family Law said boundaries have helped her become happier at work: “I became burnt out in my first five years of practice because I did not create the proper boundaries. I worked before and after working hours and on weekends, and I took the problems on as my own,” explains Montalto-Bly. 

“I have since set very strict boundaries that, barring an emergency, I am only available during working hours, and I do my best not to get personally offended by the outcome of cases if I know I've done everything I can to properly represent a client.” 

3. Exercise

Since burnout can become physically painful or uncomfortable, getting exercise in before or after your working hours can help relieve some of that strain. The National Institute of Health found that exercising just one or two times per week can reduce burnout symptoms before they occur or eliminate them once they’re present. 

Even paralegals themselves have experienced the benefit of regular exercise when it comes to combating the physical symptoms of burnout. In a Reddit comment on a thread about paralegal burnout, one paralegal wrote: 

“After work, I go straight to Pilates or the gym and sweat all my pent-up energy and anxiety out. It helps me separate my workday and my home time. Even if you go for a walk during your lunch break, it can really help clear your head and provide a mental reset.” 

4. Leave Work At Work

The legal field can be a stressful place to work because you may find yourself dealing with sensitive, troubling, or dark subject matter as part of your caseload. Dealing with heavy subject matter can heighten your emotions, which can then increase the likelihood that you become more mentally exhausted. 

It may be hard to do, but leaving your work at work and having hobbies, friendships, relationships, and more to fill your mind when you’re not working can eliminate some of that mental stress. 

You can leave work at work by scheduling time with loved ones (and not checking work messages during that time), developing a hobby that makes you feel relaxed and happy, and trying not to think about work once you’ve clocked out for the day. 

5. Take Breaks

Even if you have a lot on your plate, working for a straight 8 hours with no breaks isn’t healthy. And there’s no way that you’d be working at your best for that entire time, anyway. The longer you work without giving your mind and body a break, the higher the chance that you’ll end up burnt out. 

Giving yourself short breaks throughout the workday can help improve your physical and mental health. A few ways that you can integrate breaks into your workday include: 

• The Pomodoro technique: Work for 25 minutes (called a pomodoro), then take a 5-minute break. After four pomodoros, take a 15-30 minute break. Repeat this process. 
• Block out time: If you have a high-stress day or a day with a lot of meetings, put a meeting on your calendar for a break. That way, no one can schedule you during that time, and you can actually step away. 
• Create your own time interval: If the Pomodoro method is too short for your schedule, set your own interval. For example, you can work for 50 minutes followed by a 10-minute break or work for 90 minutes followed by a 15-minute break. 

If you’re worried about facing consequences for taking a much-needed break, don’t! A proposal headed by the American Bar Association is aiming to encourage firms to give their employees billable hour credits so they can fully unplug. 

6. Ask For Help If You Need It 

Asking for help can be difficult, but it can also be the difference between becoming too burnt out to work and continuing on in your career. If you feel stressed because of a high workload, too many tedious tasks on your plate, or confusion about how to find what you need, asking someone else for help can eliminate the time you spend trying to figure out how to do what needs to be done. 

A New York Times study once found that 59% of people do not ask for help at work when they need it. Meanwhile, 80% of people are likely to help with small requests when they are asked to assist a colleague. 

So, if asking someone to help with a few small tasks can greatly reduce the stress you feel during the workday, asking for that help may not trouble your colleague as much as you may worry it will. And in the end, it’ll both increase the quality of the work produced while also helping alleviate some of your stress. 

How Long Does It Take To Recover From Legal Burnout? 

You may be able to recover from mild burnout in just a few days, while more severe burnout that has built up over time may take weeks or even months to recover from. Since the legal field can be a fast-paced, high-stress environment to work in, burnout may be more severe and require more time to recover, depending on how long it has gone unaddressed. 

You can start the process of recovering from burnout by: 

• Scheduling some time off 
• Talking to your boss about how you’re feeling
• Talking to a therapist 
• Setting firmer boundaries 

You can also extinguish some of your burnout by selecting a place to work that empowers you to use technology to solve problems, embraces a healthy work-life balance, and doesn’t put too much on your plate. We’ve already found that young legal talent is flocking to tech-forward firms, and we expect that trend to continue as burnout rates rise. 

Alternative Careers To Consider

If your burnout has become too extreme, it may be worth considering switching career paths to a job that is similar to a legal assistant​ but not as consistently stressful. 

Some alternative career paths to being a paralegal are: 

1. Court Reporter

If you’re already used to being around courtrooms and legal terminology because of your work as a paralegal, you may be a good fit to be a court reporter. A court reporter uses a form of shorthand to keep a written record of what is said during a legal proceeding. Your legal profession background may help you understand what is happening in a courtroom, so you can easily transcribe it. 

2. Legal Secretary 

A legal secretary does the administrative tasks around a law office, like filing, keeping appointments, scheduling, etc., without some of the heavier tasks like research or compiling legal arguments. Those who want to remain in the legal field but are burnt out by paralegal work may enjoy being a law secretary because they get to keep using their skills but with a little less stress. 

3. Court Clerk

Similar to a legal secretary, a court clerk assists with administrative duties around a state or federal court system. They do things like prepare court summons or probation orders, examine documents submitted to a court, and swear in jury members or judges. Those familiar with the legal field may also enjoy court clerk work, as it is still a legal field job with a little less pressure than being a paralegal. 

Extinguish The Burnout 

Burnout can be an all-encompassing, debilitating experience. It can not only make you mentally exhausted, but also physically sick. Here at Rev, we have a deep appreciation for the important work done by those in the legal field. We want to empower you to succeed without feeling the effects of burnout. 

That’s why our technology is aimed at helping alleviate some of the tedium in your workday by sifting through hours of audio or video materials for you to help you find what you need, fast.