Inside the psychology of lawyer burnout with Dr Catherine Sykes: why some burn out and others don't

Burnout has become a familiar theme in legal careers, but it remains poorly understood. Long hours and competitive environments are often treated as the main drivers, while far less attention is paid to the psychology that determines who burns out and who doesn’t.

That gap is where London-based psychologist Dr Catherine Sykes has spent much of her career. After starting out in academia researching the psychological factors that protect against burnout, she moved into private practice and gradually found herself working primarily with lawyers.

Nearly two decades on, her work focuses on how pressure, performance and personal identity intersect in the profession.

Burnout versus productivity

Burnout often masquerades as productivity, fuelled by adrenaline rather than alignment, particularly in environments that reward long hours and being seen as busy.

“At first, it can feel quite good, quite uplifting, but it’s just adrenaline,” she says.

“There’s a difference between feeling good because you’re running on adrenaline and feeling good because you’re aligned - your mind, body, relationships, work, your impact.”

‍Rest comes first

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they realise they are burnt out is trying to make big decisions too quickly.

“The first thing is rest. Don’t make any decisions when you’re burnt out,” she says.

“If you don’t address what you are bringing to that burnout, you might get another job and just repeat the same patterns.”

That advice often runs up against deeply ingrained beliefs some people hold about rest.

“There’s a mentality of it’s a bit embarrassing to take care of yourself. If you have to take care of yourself, maybe you’re not as strong as you think you are. It’s a badge of honour to be someone who does need rest, who can operate on only a small number of hours of sleep.”

There’s a mentality of it’s a bit embarrassing to take care of yourself.

Rest itself, she notes, is not straightforward when someone is already burnt out.

“When you’re in a burnout state, rest is difficult physiologically because you are hyper-alert and it’s hard to transition into a rest state, which is why pacing is important.” 

Sykes recommends building routines that include intentional rest. She says performance improves when periods of intense, cognitively demanding work are followed by lighter tasks, such as emails, before a short rest. That gradual step-down in intensity also makes it easier to enter a genuine state of rest.

Impostor syndrome (at every level)

Alongside burnout, Sykes also sees another closely linked pattern. Impostor syndrome, she says, is deeply misunderstood, including by those who experience it.

It tends to surface at transition points: the start of a career, moments of growth, or taking on new responsibilities.

When you’ve made partner, that’s when impostor syndrome creeps right back in because it’s a new challenge.

“When you’ve made partner, that’s when impostor syndrome creeps right back in because it’s a new challenge,” she says.

The coping strategies that follow are often counterproductive. “Procrastination or overworking are the go-to strategies.”

These behaviours are driven by automatic internal narratives: a constant pressure to stay busy or visible, the belief that slowing down means falling behind, that competence should look effortless, or that mistakes will expose a lack of readiness.

Because these narratives tend to operate in the background, they are rarely recognised in the moment, yet they shape behaviour and push people towards overworking, avoidance or excessive checking, ultimately undermining performance.

When tasks are eventually completed, success is often attributed to overworking or luck rather than ability, reinforcing the same pattern and allowing the cycle to repeat.

The high achiever paradigm

Underneath that behaviour is a long-learned pattern.

“Lawyers are high achievers. They’re used to being the best at school, best at university, places where they receive a lot of reinforcement, praise and recognition of their intelligence,” she says.

Over time, that reinforcement can become conditional.

“The nervous system learns ‘I’m only safe when I’m being better than other people.’ Now that’s hard when you work in law, because the reality is there are a lot of great people in your environment.”

‍What actually helps

For lawyers already operating at capacity, Sykes is wary of advice that adds yet another set of expectations. What helps most, she suggests, are small behavioural changes that reduce friction and fatigue, and promote clarity and connection.

One relatively easy change is to take steps to lower cognitive load. Decisions that repeat every day - what to wear, what to eat, when to exercise - quietly drain energy. She advises clients to simplify wardrobes so outfits mix easily, meal prep and keep a fixed exercise routine, rather than relying on motivation at the end of long hours.

Beliefs about sleep can also get in the way. Some people internalise the idea that sleep is a waste of time, or compare themselves to colleagues who claim to function for four hours a night. Sykes says those assumptions often need to be challenged, particularly when people are already operating close to burnout.

Social relationships function as a protective buffer against sustained stress, she says. They are often the first casualty of expanding workloads. Occasional late nights are unavoidable, but habitual withdrawal from relationships is more problematic and reduces resilience over time.‍

Peak performance

For Sykes, peak performance is not about lowering standards or softening ambition. It is about alignment and helping people reach a state where performance and wellbeing reinforce each other.

“Lawyers often don’t get the benefits of reaching their full potential, despite outward signs of success. A lot of lawyers are really intelligent people who are unhappy.”

A lot of lawyers are really intelligent people who are unhappy.

When that alignment is in place, she says, the dynamic shifts. 

“People enjoy coming to work for more than the money, the status, they get a bigger sense of purpose.”

“When you feel that what you’re doing is connected to who you are, your story, what you’re doing and where you came from and using that to create impact, you get a sense of peak performance, peak wellbeing, peak mood and you feel on top of the world.”

‍All graphics reproduced with permission of Dr Catherine Sykes.