March 17, 2023
Litigation associate Craig Gilchrist spoke with the OBA to discuss mental health from a working lawyer’s perspective.
Craig speaks candidly with the OBA on his lived experience as a junior lawyer, finding his way in the profession and confronting mental health issues in the process.
A small excerpt from his Q&A is below.
Q: Having worked in both large and small firms, I know that the experience of a junior can be very different based on that factor. What are your thoughts on the experience at a large firm?
A: One of the advantages of being in a large firm is that there are more associates and bigger teams. When I’ve reached the point where I needed to hand off a file, there is often an associate who has the capacity to take it on. So if I know I’m not in a position to work to my standards, I can hand off a file, knowing that the client won’t suffer. Though, I admit that mustering the strength to say that I need someone to take on one of my files is very difficult.
Also, large firms offer counselling and mental health benefits. When I was articling, Torys started a pilot program of having a counsellor on call for us. The program was such a success that it has since been rolled out to all associates.
You can read the full piece on the OBA website.
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