A psychologist on why lawyers burn out

In this episode, Dr Catherine Sykes, a psychologist and coach who works with City lawyers, explains why burnout is so common among high-performing professionals, and why it’s often misunderstood.

Drawing on decades of experience, she argues burnout is not simply about long hours, but “constant effort without psychological returns with no end in sight,” where meaning, satisfaction and growth are missing from the work.

The conversation explores the psychology of lawyers, particularly the role of perfectionism. Sykes also breaks down the early warning signs of burnout and why the instinctive response to “work harder” can make things worse. Instead, she argues that recovery often requires stepping back and in some cases seeking out new challenges to break out of unfulfilling work patterns.

The episode also dives into imposter syndrome. Her core message is that sustainable performance comes from shifting away from perfectionism towards high standards, building self-trust and ensuring work delivers meaningful psychological returns.

The Non-Billable Podcast is sponsored by Legora. To find out more about Legora, visit: https://legora.com/

Today’s episode is also supported by Definely. To find out more about Definely, visit: https://www.definely.com/nonbillable

Chapters

00:01 Introduction

02:35 From academia to coaching: specialising in burnout

04:37 The psychology of high-performing lawyers

07:12 What burnout actually is (and isn’t)

10:44 Early warning signs and what to do first

13:48 Breaking the burnout cycle and finding balance

16:28 Imposter syndrome explained

21:19 Perfectionism vs high performance

24:30 What peak performance really looks like

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