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Family

May 15, 2026

Facing the daily stress of family law: Why self-care is vital for attorneys

Family law rarely offers clean endings, and the cumulative toll of carrying families through their worst moments can lead to burnout. Here is what it looks like in this practice, and how attorneys can protect themselves against it.

Vanessa A. Zecher

Judge (ret.), neutral
JAMS

family law

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Facing the daily stress of family law: Why self-care is vital for attorneys
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To all the family law attorneys reading this, let me start by acknowledging that what you do is hard--not just professionally demanding, but genuinely, personally hard. I know this because I spent years as a family law practitioner, then on the bench in family court and now as a neutral with JAMS. You carry the weight of families in crisis, and you deserve both recognition for that and practical guidance on how to protect yourself.

Additionally, I would...

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