A new season is upon us. Summer is wrapping up and fall is near. The weather is changing and schedules are shifting. Students are back in school and traffic has picked up.
Bar association meetings are back on schedule and vacations are dwindling down. This is a wonderful time for us to get back to the basics. This is the perfect time for a reset, both mentally and analytically.
This is also the time of year many of us were sworn in as attorneys, as advocates. According to Merriam-Webster, an advocate is “one who pleads the cause of another.”
As members of the legal community, attorneys are known to serve as advocates for the clients, businesses, and organizations whom they represent. In some cases, attorneys accept cases that relate to how they feel or have felt about a specific situation at a given point in time.
In some cases, attorneys accept cases based on the factual financial figures that representation provides.
In either situation, our judicial system should be based on facts over feelings. When feelings fail us, facts sustain us.
Our profession is one with many demands and the adversarial nature of the work we do can also be a strain on our emotions.
It has been reported that approximately 26% of lawyers who seek counseling admit that they suffer from anxiety and depression, which are bodily responses to various feelings that persist over time.
We counteract strained emotions and the demands of clients, public perception, long work hours and rigid deadlines by maintaining purpose, balance and professionalism.
We get there by approaching our roles from a place of purpose. Take a moment to remember your “why?” Why did you pursue a legal career? Why did you apply to become a member of The Florida Bar? Why did you take on the practice area where you currently serve?
When we truly understand the driving force behind why we do what we do, we can make decisions that align with that purpose. When we are facing challenges, our “why” gives us the motivation to overcome.
The factual reality is greater purpose exists that can supersede the temporary feeling that a moment presents.
When we are not moving in alignment with our purpose, we feel out of balance. As attorneys, we juggle many hats. There is the role of an attorney, balanced against the role of a spouse, parent, family member, mentor, community member, Bar organization leader, workout partner, friend and other roles.
Whether juggling all these roles or even just a few of them, many attorneys are often tasked with “finding the balance.” I challenge you to recognize that the concept of balance is a fictitious concept as it relates to life’s responsibilities.
Life is really an act of prioritization. You get to decide how you show up within the legal community and the community at large based on where you are most needed at a given time.
That need is centered around your overall purpose and can shift from one season to another.
When you handle matters of great priority and urgency, space is created to handle other matters that arise.
That space also provides grace to always show up as your best self.
Within the legal profession, this is where our level of professionalism prevails. As members of The Florida Bar, we took an oath to uphold morality and character, civility and respect, competence and commitment, along with fairness and integrity.
These expectations are met and exceeded when actions are guided by facts rather than feelings. Facts are a reminder that this is not personal work, it is civic work as we support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida.
As we lean into the new season, let us also focus on placing facts over feelings while maintaining purpose, balance and professionalism in every area of our lives.
Magistrate Marquita Green serves in the 4th Judicial Circuit in the areas of municipal ordinance, mental health, juvenile and family law.