22/07/2011. Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland features in part 2 of the Australian Law Students’ Association’s (ALSA) ALSAtv YouTube project, now available online.
In his interview with ALSAtv Mr McClelland speaks about competitiveness among graduate lawyers when he entered the profession and some stern advice he received from a senior partner.
“You get to a point where if you are putting in so many hours … you lose perspective. You have to stand back and ask ‘well how productive are those hours and could I do more to get a bit of balance?’” Mr McClelland said.
The Attorney-General also discusses how resilience can be used to combat potentially corrosive lawyerly traits such as perfectionism and unrealistic expectations.
“The very best lawyers I have seen are ... people who are worldly and have a broader experience of life. The real challenge for being as effective a lawyer as you can be is ‘have I got enough balance in my life; am I getting enough exercise; am I feeling physically well … what can I do for my broader relationships, my broader friendships, that are part of your resilience when you have them to fall back on?’” he said.
ALSA Vice-President (Education) Melissa Coade said the ALSAtv vodcasts were developed as a tool and resource for Law Students’ Societies nationwide. An initiative of the ALSA Depression and Mental Health Working Party, their primary aim is to affect attitudes about striving for good mental health in law schools.
“We were privileged to meet with Attorney-General Robert McClelland to discuss his own perspective and experiences with stress in law,” Ms Coade said.
“This vodcast series is significant because it ensures that the community dialogue about mental health, depression, resilience and coping strategies does not stagnate. What’s more, we want to go beyond awareness and put students in a position where they feel empowered,” she said.
“We encourage all Australian law students to watch ALSAtv as we highlight critical issues concerning depression and mental health in law schools and the profession.”
The ALSAtv vodcast can be accessed by following the link below:
ALSA Education Vodcast: Professional Acrobatics: Maintaining a balance in law
Media contact:
Melissa Coade
Vice-President (Education)
Australian Law Students’ Association
Email:
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Phone: (02) 4221 3079
