| Falling Down | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $96 million |
"The Verdict," a 1982 movie about a drinking alcoholic who tries to pull himself together for one last step at salvaging his self-esteem. This is the film where a burned-out lawyer is trying very hard with one last case to keep from going under. Paul Newman plays Frank Galvin, a Boston lawyer who has had problems over the years.
Paul Newman is a washed-up, alcoÂholic lawyer who gets handed a medical-malpractice case and sees it as one last chance to get his career right. James Mason is diabolical as his courtroom opponent who cavorts with the judge, played by Milo O’Shea. Charlotte Rampling is the love interest—whose interests may not be those of Newman’s character.
Screenwriter Wesley Strick, who wrote the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street as well as Doom, Cape Fear, Batman Returns and Arachnophobia, based James Woods' character Eddie Dodd on real-life Bay Area defense attorney Tony Serra. Check out the ponytail on Woods! Dodd is burned out, having left behind civil rights and idealism to defend drug dealers.
A former District Attorney, Clayton uses his contacts in the police and the criminal justice system to bail out the firm's wealthy corporate clients. When one of the firm's senior partners, Arthur Edens, has a nervous breakdown while taking a deposition in a lawsuit against a major agrochemicals company, Clayton is dispatched to bring him home.
The first step to managing lawyer burnout is acknowledging the situation for what it is. This can be tough for lawyers who’ve been conditioned to have an image of themselves as superhuman, but if you can admit when you’re getting burned out, you’ll be able to take better care of yourself and your clients in the long run.
If you don’t want to be burned out, you need to know (and respect) your limits, learn to say no and let go of the belief that you can handle more than you actually can.
Because the law is rooted in ideas that tend to value overworked lawyers, attitudes of strength, and “toughing it out,” it can be difficult for lawyers to ask for help when they need it.
The WHO outlines several signs of burnout, including: Feelings of exhaustion. Pulling away mentally from a job.
The report also found that lawyers work, on average, 140 unplanned hours a year—which works out to about 3.5 weeks a year of unplanned work. These statistics alone make it clear why lawyers are burned out.
Many lawyers are perfectionists—a trait that serves them well when dealing with a complex legal case, but that can lead to greater lows and disappointment with failures (or perceived failures).
Feelings of exhaustion. Pulling away mentally from a job. Work-related cynicism. While anyone in any profession can absolutely experience burnout, lawyers are particularly prone to suffering from it, and to suffering the consequences.