12/12/2024
The £500-per-hour professional who couldn't stay awake...
"Would you mind repeating that, counsel?"
Those words from the judge made his stomach drop.
There he was, in the middle of the Commercial Court, struggling to keep his eyes open during his own submission.
His reputation as a top-tier QC was worth £500 an hour, yet he could barely string two coherent thoughts together.
It wasn't always like this. Just 18 months ago, he was the one who'd power through complex merger documents until 3 AM, then breeze into chambers fresh-faced at 8.
But lately, He'd been finding himself re-reading the same paragraph 5 times.
Client meetings felt like marathons.
Last week, he actually dozed off during a partners' lunch - thankfully, everyone pretended not to notice when his fork clattered onto his plate.
The turning point came during a video consultation with a Silicon Valley client.
As he fought to suppress his third yawn in five minutes, the client asked, "Are we boring you with our £50 million dispute?" Mortifying doesn't begin to cover it.
Here's the thing nobody tells you about being at the top of your game: the higher the stakes, the more energy it takes just to maintain baseline performance.
We're not machines, though our billing targets might suggest otherwise.
His wake-up call (pun intended) led him to some uncomfortable truths...
- Those "power hours" between 11 PM and 2 AM were actually making him less effective
- Skipping lunch to squeeze in extra billables was sabotaging his afternoon performance
- His prestigious corner office with zero natural light wasn't doing him any favours
The solution?
He had to swallow his pride and admit that even QCs need to prioritise rest
He started treating his energy levels with the same strategic approach he uses for complex cases and worked with a Performance Coach.
Now he's not just awake - he's actually alert.
His billables haven't dropped; they've become more focused.
Who else has found themselves in this position?
How do you maintain peak performance without running on fumes?
