They all love what they do...primarily because it’s fun... many others in the same occupations don’t enjoy what they do... it is not WHAT they do that counts, but HOW they do it.  
Professor Mihaly Csikszetmihalyi, Flow (2008)
The Joyful Lawyers: How do they do it?
Whether you work 20 hours or 80 hours each week, the focus of the SURVEY is on those working and not on work-life balance. Many lawyers are currently unhappy, or were unhappy in the past, with their vocation and typical daily tasks. There are many, however, who love their work and can’t wait to get to it each day.  This SURVEY explores the goals, attitudes, habits and ethical values that result in joy and happiness on a daily basis.  Best practices can be creatively crafted to meet the individual expectations for success and balance while providing effective representation for clients.
Responses will be compiled as part of the Happy Effective Lawyer Happiness Initiative by Happy Effective Lawyer, LLC.  Responses will not be attributed to you or otherwise identify you by name without your express email permission.  Responses may be quoted or summarized without attribution in a manner that is not intended to identify you by name, including in articles, presentations, or websites.
Although this SURVEY looks lengthy, it should take only 15-20 minutes to complete. This is a beta test version, please place any comments about the questions, format, or the Survey itself in the comment boxes located at the end of each of question or in the comment box at the end of the survey.

SurveyMonkey does not allow you to print the survey. If you would like to keep track of your answers, take screenshots or take notes as you go along.

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* 1. Contact Information

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* 2. What is your gender?

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* 3. What year were you admitted to practice?

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* 4. About how many hours did you devote to your job and related tasks on average each MONTH during 2016? (including administrative, CLE, etc., but not business development)
Feel free to also comment.

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* 5. Does your employer have a minimum number of targeted billable hours or expectation of hours worked each year? Please type the minimum or expected working or billable hours. (Full time salaried employee norm is 2080 annually, including vacation, holiday, and paid leave based upon 40 hours per week).
Feel free to also comment.

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* 6. On a scale of 0-10, how difficult is it to meet these hourly working expectations? (10 is most difficult; please type the number in)
Feel free to also comment.

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* 7. The night before each work day, what is the average amount of sleep you get?

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* 8. Is your prime practice area...

We prefer that you answer all of the following survey questions, but none are mandatory.
Skip questions if not applicable. If the question was relevant to your practice in the past, please answer for the past and so indicate any different circumstances.

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* 9. Current type of employment.

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* 10. If you are in private practice are you a:

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* 11. If you checked large, mid-sized, or small firm, please give an estimate of the number of lawyers in your firm.

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* 12. In the past, I worked at the following types of employment:

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* 13. Researchers have described people at their peak performance feeling totally engaged and having a loss of sense of time. They are confident they are producing high-quality work. Sometimes this is called "being in the zone" or being "in the flow".

Describe in detail one to three legal tasks (from any time in your career) that are most likely to put you in the zone.
Explain specifically what habits you have developed or how you create the environment, to promote peak performance.

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* 14. In the past 12 months, which of the following educational activities (not work related) have you voluntarily participated in?

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* 15. On a scale from 0-5, do your volunteering and community and civic activities, such as serving on boards, enhance your legal skills, (not business development or administrative tasks) including improving decision making and negotiation? (5 being the most; please type the number in)
Feel free to also comment.

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* 16. Currently I feel joy or am very satisfied in my work as a lawyer.

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* 17. In the past, I felt joy and satisfaction in my work as a lawyer.

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* 18. Please provide details on current or past happiness including what has changed since then such as employment or practice area.

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* 19. When working on legal matters, how often do you find yourself optimistic of creating an effective solution to a unique challenge.

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* 20. Do you feel comfortable giving feedback to your supervisor, principals, or partners? 

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* 21. What firm or organization policies or practices promote happy and effective representation?

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* 22. What lifestyle habits or strategies have you developed to promote peak performance?

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* 23. I feel that the firm or organization is providing sufficient tools and resources to do my job well. 

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* 24. My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment. 

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* 25. Currently or in the past do you participate in pro bono legal work? 

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* 26. If your answer to the above question was "yes", how satisfying do you find pro bono work on a scale of 0-5? (5 being the most satisfied)

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* 27. If you currently participate in pro bono work, how many hours do you participate in an average MONTH?

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* 28. By participating in pro bono work, is it promoting happiness and/or improving performance in your daily work? Please explain.

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* 29. Are you satisfied with your involvement in decisions that affect your work? 

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* 30. Think about the substantive legal matters you work on in a typical week and how often you have to consult with a supervisor. In an average week, how often do the decisions you make on substantive legal matters have to be approved by a supervisor?

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* 31. What best describes how you effectively manage your time at work?

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* 32. What have you found to be the most effective technique for time management? 

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* 33. Which of the following stress management techniques or responses do you frequently use?

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* 34. How many hours each month do you dedicate to specific stress management activities? 

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* 35. Please explain your response to #34.

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* 36. When confronted with a very stressful situation during the work day, what techniques do you use to reduce stress or improve performance?

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* 37. What contemplative, religious and/or spiritual practices, if any, are central to your lifestyle and engaged in weekly? (Such as mindfulness, meditation, prayer, religious practices, etc.)

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* 38. How many hours each month do you dedicate to contemplative practices essential to your lifestyle?

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* 39. Have you routinely engaged in any of these therapies?

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* 40. How many hours each month do you dedicate to these therapies?

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* 41. Please explain your response to #40.

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* 42. How many hours each month do you dedicate to physical activities?

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* 43. Please explain your response to #42, including how essential physical activities and exercise are to your lifestyle.

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* 44. What leisure activities are part of your lifestyle and you engage in routinely?

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* 45. How many hours each month do you dedicate to leisure activities?

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* 46. Please explain your response to #45.

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* 47. If you are a woman, please comment on any challenges to your job performance based upon your gender, and any strategies successfully utilized by you to address these issues.

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* 48. If you are a lawyer of color, please comment on any challenges to your job performance based upon your being a minority, and any strategies successfully utilized by you to address these issues.

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* 49. What advice would you give to newer lawyers to promote happiness and professional achievement?

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* 50. What advice would you give to the general counsel, principals, or partners of your organization to promote contentment and peak performance of individual lawyers?

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* 51. Would you, or do you, encourage your children, family members, or friends to become lawyers?

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* 52. Would/is your encouragement, or lack thereof, be dependent on the gender of the child/family member/friend? Explain.

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* 53. If I had to do it over again, I would become a lawyer.

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* 54. Additional Comments

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