Lawyers are fixers, problem-solvers, refiners.  We use our skills to create order, as best we can, from the elements of the file in front of us.  It could be a challenging negotiation for our client’s biggest business opportunity or a complicated child custody situation.  Perhaps we are assisting with an immigration question or a social security or workers’ compensation claim, the resolution of which will have a deep impact on our client’s life and well-being.  It might be outside the law.  It could be the board we serve on or the mock trial team we coach that is looking to us to provide direction. 

As lawyers we are all too often focused on creating a balance for others.  We dedicate ourselves and concentrate our effort and thought on others and their circumstances.  Yet we need that level of attention too.  How often do we allow that gaze to turn inward?  Do we look curiously at our own lives?  Do we allow ourselves to fine tune our practice or familiar ways of doing things that may no longer serve us?  If you were to examine your own situation, what would it reveal? 

I suspect that most lawyers are intellectually curious.  We want to learn and be busy.  But focusing that intellectual curiosity inward can be more of a challenge.  Could you force yourself to take a purposeful pause and allow yourself time to tune in and reset?  Be honest with yourself.  Evaluate your own situation, instead of your client’s.  It might be uncomfortable at first.  But if you allow yourself the space, then there is more room for insight and enlightenment.  You might see something that needs to change.  Conversely, you might realize you are on the path you dreamed of – this can be a pleasant surprise after taking the time for honest reflection.

Sometimes circumstances require us to deviate from the polestar that brought us into the law, or the practice area we hoped to pursue.  One way to honor that part of yourself is through pro bono work or other volunteer engagement.  If your consultation with yourself reveals that you want to explore beyond the walls that define your current practice, you could check with the Lawyer Referral Service or Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program and provide help to someone in earnest need of your abilities.

As lawyers, our reality is that we often find ourselves deeply immersed in solving the problems and challenges of others. Yet, it is essential to periodically pause and turn that focus inward, reassessing our own practices, values, and motivations. Are we still aligned with the ideals that initially inspired our careers? Are we creating the type of impact we envisioned when we first entered the profession? By regularly reflecting on these questions, we can recalibrate our approaches, find renewed purpose, and rediscover the passion that led us to law in the first place. Whether through taking on meaningful cases, engaging in volunteer work, or simply carving out time for personal reflection, investing in ourselves as professionals ensures that we continue to serve others with the same dedication and energy that drew us to this profession in the first place.

It is your turn to catch up and give yourself the attention you deserve. 

Kristin Bjorkman is one of two commissioners for Idaho’s Fourth District.  She is a second-generation Idaho lawyer with decades of experience negotiating and documenting real estate, commercial finance, and business transactions.  Her interest in the law was influenced by her father who paused his career in education to get a law degree when Kristin was a teen.