​How Much is Enough?

Lawyers are paradoxically obsessed with having “enough” work—while constantly flirting with the edge of burnout. It’s a defining feature of the legal profession: the never-ending quest for full utilisation, high billables, and visible value. But what if the problem isn’t about volume, but about emotional capacity? What if “enough” isn’t a matter of hours worked, but of how those hours weigh on the mind?

The Emotional Economy of Legal Work

Legal work is intellectually taxing, yes—but its emotional weight is often underestimated. A lawyer’s day may involve dealing with distressed clients, high-stakes disputes, tight deadlines, and intricate ethical decisions. These aren't just items on a to-do list; they’re emotionally loaded interactions that deplete energy in ways time sheets can’t measure.

You might technically only be working 40 hours a week—but if those hours involve sustained emotional labour, persistent interpersonal friction, or high-stakes strategic thinking, then you're full. Your tank is empty, regardless of what the billables say.

The Paranoia of “Not Enough”

And yet, lawyers are paranoid about not having enough work. In many firms, visibility and volume equate to security. A partner might say nothing while you're logging 60 hours, but raise an eyebrow if you dip to 35. There’s a cultural mythology that says “busy is safe”—as if an overbooked diary is proof of value, relevance, and staying power.

This paranoia is reinforced by firm economics: “on the beach” too long, and people start to ask questions. Associates often absorb this anxiety early, turning every quiet day into a threat to their career.

Ironically, the same people who fear burnout also fear the perception of underutilisation. This contradiction breeds deep anxiety—and makes it almost impossible to establish a healthy baseline for workload.

What Is “Enough” Work?

Enough is not a number. It’s a feeling of fullness, not overload. A sustainable workload respects the lawyer’s emotional bandwidth—not just their time.

Key signs that you have “enough” work:

• You can focus without fragmentation.

• You have mental clarity, not emotional fatigue.

• You can still bring curiosity, empathy, and diligence to your files.

• You’re not constantly negotiating with yourself about sleep, family, or rest.

If your work stops you from showing up in your own life—you're past enough. You’re in depletion.

Questions Leaders Should Be Asking

For partners and team leaders, the challenge isn’t just about resourcing—it’s about sensing. The best leaders aren’t just managing workflow. They’re tuning into emotional atmospheres.

Here are better questions to ask your team:

• “What kind of work energises you, and what drains you?”
  Different files create different emotional demands.

• “What part of your workload feels heaviest—not in time, but in weight?”
  This question acknowledges that not all hours are equal.

• “Do you have enough emotional space to be creative and strategic?”
  Cognitive overload erodes higher-order thinking. If your lawyers are only reacting, not reflecting, they're in burnout territory.

• “What does your week feel like, in your body?”
  Leaders should listen not just for data, but for distress.

• “If you had one more day in the week, would you spend it catching up or recovering?”
  The answer to this is a litmus test for burnout risk.

Reframing the Narrative

To build healthier legal cultures, we need to retire the binary of “busy vs. idle” and replace it with a more nuanced conversation about sustainability. Workload can’t be measured solely in six-minute increments. It must be assessed in terms of emotional capacity, relational bandwidth, and energy economics.

Paranoia about not having enough work is understandable—but if left unchallenged, it keeps the profession locked in cycles of overcommitment and under-care. Leadership starts with modelling a different relationship to work: one where “enough” includes space for recovery, humanity, and presence.

Because in the end, sustainable practice isn’t just good for lawyers. It’s good for law.