Book Review: Lawyer Like an Athlete: How to Up Your Game at Work and in Life by Amy Wood

Having been a successful college athlete and never skipping a training day over the years, I was initially interested in this book to help me continue to train. Instead, it had many tips on wellness and resting.

For example, the author suggests buying a watch so you don’t have to look at your phone to see the time and then get distracted by checking social media. Similarly, the author suggests reading briefs printed on paper rather than on your computer; this not only stops distractions but allows you to annotate the brief and write notes by hand, making you slow down and think about the important sections.

The author also discusses empathy, something few prosecutors seem to have. Often misconstrued as sympathy, empathy doesn’t mean that you feel sorry for, agree with, or even like someone. Empathy is about taking time, asking questions, and letting the answers sink in to understand someone so you can relate to them in a more accurate, nuanced way.

The book also reminds us to express appreciation. There’s an accepted, simple formula among marital therapists that the most resilient marriages are those where gratitude is expressed more than complaints.

Like athletes, lawyers must rest to come back stronger. Just as muscles need rest between physical workouts, you need a respite from mental exertion to return to your work with renewed vigor. Research shows humans naturally move from full focus and energy to physiological fatigue every 90 minutes. Therefore, it’s a good general practice to take a five-minute break every 90 minutes. Stand up, refill your water bottle, and move around. When I was at law school, my classmate and I did push-ups every 90 minutes to wake us up from reading.

The author cites research that attorneys who take a bona fide vacation every year—two weeks away from home with no work—are more successful than other attorneys. The real heroes are not the workaholics but those who are courageous enough to vacation and not worry. An American record-holding runner said: Anyone can train like a madman, but to embrace rest and allow all the hard training to come out takes mental strength.

After almost 40 years as an attorney, I continue to enjoy working as long as I follow the recommendations of this book to enjoy myself, rest, and take vacations. I agree with Heidi K. Brown, author of The Flourishing Lawyer, who said, “Athletes do not just focus on the singular skill that brings them glory on the field. With the help of their coaches and trainers, they cultivate multi-dimensional fitness. Lawyers can, and should, do the same.”