‘Lawyers should develop sense of humour’

The judge, who was speaking on “the art of happiness: healing from stresses as a legal professional” at a “coffee chat” organised by the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum, stressed on the need to adopt practices that prioritise mental health

New Delhi: Justice Anup J Bhambhani of the Delhi High Court on Friday told lawyers to not take themselves too seriously and to develop a sense of humour.

The judge, who was speaking on “the art of happiness: healing from stresses as a legal professional” at a “coffee chat” organised by the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum, stressed on the need to adopt practices that prioritise mental health.

The event was also attended by former high court judge Justice Poonam A Bamba, who suggested that lawyers should “detach” when the situation demands.

Dr Achal Bhagat, senior consultant and psychiatrist at Apollo Hospitals, was also present as a speaker.

“You are not to be frivolous, of course. We are professionals. But if you take yourself too seriously or even the judge too seriously, it becomes too heavy a burden to carry,” Justice Bhambhani said.

“We are surrounded by negativity. That is the environment in which people meet us. They are distressed. So, it is important to have a sense of humour in everything that happens. When the judge lambasts you or you get a bizarre ruling, you can scream and cry but you can also take it differently. Just keep the thing light. I am reminded of the phrase — This too shall pass,” he added.

Justice Bhambhani said the legal profession was one of the most stressful professions, and as judges, the trickiest position to be in is when one’s personal opinion is not supported by the law.

“(At times) You know what the right thing is to do but there are constraints. We have an opinion but sometimes you can’t do anything about it because that’s the law of the land and you’ve to follow it. That is the trickiest position to be in,” he said.

“Whatever be your personal convictions, you cannot upset the law because that might have other repercussions,” the judge said.