When people ask me what I do for a living, I like to say that I dig lawyers out of ditches. Since I don’t look like a tow truck driver, I am often met with confused looks. So, I explain that I help lawyers fix mistakes and resolve claims. People often say, “Wait, you help bad lawyers.” I clarify that I don’t help “bad” lawyers. I help lawyers who, like everyone else, are fallible. 

Like any “job,” I could explain what I do by describing the discrete tasks that I perform in a given day. I receive calls and emails from lawyers and claimants reporting mistakes that lawyers have made. In response to those communications, I collect additional information and evidence and set up a claim file. I evaluate whether the information provided to me provides the basis for a claim against the insured lawyer. I look at statutory and case law to determine what theories of liability might be asserted against the lawyer and what defenses might be available. If there are repair options, I engage in a claims repair process. If repair is not an option, I negotiate a resolution of the claim with the claimant or their lawyer. 

The description above is a true and accurate characterization of what I do. However, I think there is a better way to describe my role—one that gives deeper meaning and purpose to my life. It is the ditch digger description. I talk to lawyers every day who are feeling some degree of anxiety and shame because of a mistake they have made. They share with me that they are embarrassed and haven’t been able to sleep. They dreaded making the call to report their mistake. They often express a sense of despair. It is my job to reassure these lawyers that everything is going to be okay. I explain that we will get them through this so that they can get on with the business of helping clients. I help these lawyers take a deep breath and remember that a single mistake does not define a career. I take some of the heavy weight off their shoulders. These calls usually end with the lawyer telling me that they feel a sense of relief and are glad that they finally made the call.

When I think in this way about what I do, it gives me a sense of fulfilment, satisfaction, and purpose. I am a lawyer’s lawyer. I get lawyers through difficult times so that they can focus on the clients they are called to serve. If there is such a thing as a calling, this is mine. It is not always easy. I often have to deal with difficult pro se claimants and overly aggressive claimants’ attorneys. I sometimes have to address uncomfortable coverage issues. But I am fueled to deal with these issues by the knowledge that what I do matters for lawyers who are struggling. For me, it is an honor to be able to serve the legal profession in this way. It is one of the main reasons I have been doing what I do for over 25 years.

I had to wait 35 years to find work that gave me joy and a sense of purpose. But, as a mentor once told me, “It takes what it takes.” I like to think that seven years of slogging through private practice without any deeper sense of purpose made me appreciate my role at Lawyers Mutual so much more than I otherwise would have. How can you know true joy if you have not felt some level of disappointment or despair?  

What is your mindset about your work? Are you a plaintiff’s lawyer who thinks about what you do as submitting claims to insurance adjusters, filing personal injury complaints, serving discovery, taking depositions, researching legal issues, negotiating claims, and trying cases? Or are you a plaintiff’s lawyer who is a beacon of hope and justice for those who have been wrongfully injured, giving voice to the voiceless and helping people get through what can be the worst time of their life. Are you a residential real estate lawyer who searches title, issues title opinions, reviews and drafts documents, conducts closings, and disburses funds. Or are you a residential real estate lawyer who gives peace of mind and helps people safely navigate one of the most significant and emotionally charged decisions of their lives, making the dream of home ownership a concrete reality. 

Whether you are a criminal defense lawyer representing clients facing possible loss of freedom or a transactional lawyer protecting a person’s financial interests or in-house counsel protecting a company’s interests, all lawyers have jobs that are bigger than the discreet tasks they perform. We all have a greater purpose. What is yours? If you cannot see the greater purpose in what you do or you have become cynical about your sense of purpose, it is possible that you are in the wrong place. I spent seven years in private practice looking for a deeper sense of purpose. I never found it because I was in the wrong place. If you are stuck in a discreet task mentality and can’t find meaning in your work, don’t be afraid to at least consider a change. I give thanks every day for the leap I made 25 years ago.

Maybe you are in a position where you do feel some sense of meaning but want more from your job. I reached that point at Lawyers Mutual. While I derived great satisfaction from helping lawyers navigate the claim process, I wanted something more. I noticed that I was regularly encountering lawyers who were struggling with burnout, anxiety, and depression. How could I help these lawyers beyond the claim process? I began exploring and researching the issue of lawyer well-being. I discovered studies of lawyer mental health that painted a disturbing picture. One in five lawyers are suffering from anxiety and almost one-third of lawyers are struggling with symptoms of depression.

With the support of Lawyers Mutual, I began to write and speak about lawyer well-being and burnout. I now frequently write articles and blog posts offering well-being tips to lawyers. I travel around the state presenting mental health CLE’s to various bar groups. I have found that lawyers are hungry for this content. This aspect of my work has deepened my sense of purpose and meaning. It has been like a capstone to my career at Lawyers Mutual.

Is there a way for you to expand your current position in a way that will bring greater meaning to what you do? You don’t have to dive all the way in to explore new opportunities. If there is something that you think will bring more meaning to what you do, stick your toe in the water and see how it feels. 

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”  If you are struggling to find your why, try this:

1. Write down three moments in the last year when you felt a sense of fulfilment or satisfaction from what you did. What do they have in common?
2. If you could do anything and money and fear were not an issue, what would you do?
3. Ask yourself: If your client wrote a thank-you note after your work together, what would you hope it said?

Your answers to these questions may help to reveal what inspires you and what you are called to do. You might also find that it offers other benefits. I know that when I feel a sense of purpose in what I do, I am more resilient to the stresses I encounter in my work. When I am doing what I love, I feel like I have an endless supply of energy. Little things don’t bother me. In contrast, when I am stuck doing something that doesn’t align with my purpose and passion, I tire quickly and feel anxious. If you have not thought about your why, now is the perfect time to do it.

When we stop viewing our jobs as a checklist of duties and begin to see them as opportunities to serve, everything changes. The mundane becomes meaningful. Tasks become touchpoints. Even the most routine moments can reveal a deeper purpose when approached with intention. But mindset isn’t the whole story. If you’ve done the inner work and still feel out of alignment, that discontent may be pointing to something real. Sometimes you’re just in the wrong place. And finding the right fit, where your skills, values, and desires align, might require courage and change. Whether you stay or go, the journey toward meaningful work begins by asking the right questions—and being brave enough to listen to the answers.