Increasingly, lawyers are relying more on text messaging and videoconferencing platforms to communicate with their clients. But without setting clear boundaries and expectations for accessibility, industry observers said these additional collaboration platforms are accelerating the legal industry’s burnout and well-being challenges.

To be sure, digital platforms helped many law firms maintain and grow business even as a pandemic shut down offices and left some lawyers and staffers uneasy about immediately returning. But while those digital platforms created opportunities, they also exasperated the legal industry’s pervasive mental health issues.