Securing Sustainable Performance in a High-Pressure Industry – Baker McKenzie

It’s no secret that law is one of the most demanding professions. Long hours, relentless deadlines, and constant pressure from clients, colleagues, and the courts make the legal industry one of the most stressful career paths in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The American Bar Association further notes that the greatest source of stress comes from the expectation to perform at the highest level at all times, leaving many lawyers caught in a cycle of overwork and strain.

In this Firstbeat user story, Jay Connolly, Global Chief People Officer at Baker McKenzie, one of the world’s largest law firms, shares how a group of 30 team leaders and partners used Firstbeat Life to help enhance sleep quality, establish sustainable daily routines, and ultimately strengthen their overall well-being.

Read on to discover how Baker McKenzie took a proactive approach to well-being, what steps they implemented, the insights revealed by Firstbeat data, and how small changes led to meaningful shifts in employee well-being.

Demands of a Fast-Paced Working Environment

Baker McKenzie is one of the world’s largest law firms, with over 12,000 employees and more than 70 offices in more than 40 locations. With 75 years of history and roots in Chicago, the firm has built a reputation for navigating complex legal challenges on a global scale. But behind the high performance lies a reality common across the legal sector: long hours, demanding client expectations, and the constant pressure to deliver.

In the legal field, the pressure is intensified by billing models based on hourly work and the nature of client projects that can require around-the-clock attention. At Baker McKenzie, like in many law firms, it’s not uncommon for lawyers to work evenings and across time zones—often dealing with urgent or sensitive cases that cannot wait.

As Jay Connolly, the firm’s Global Chief People Officer, explains, many lawyers also share a particular personality profile—what he calls “classic Type A traits”: high scepticism, a heightened sense of urgency, and a constant drive to achieve. While these traits may serve clients well, they can also make it difficult to prioritize personal well-being or recovery. Burnout, stress, and work-life imbalance are well-known issues in the legal field.

Searching for a Sustainable Solution

As part of the ongoing commitment to support their people and further enhance the employee experience, Baker McKenzie partnered with Firstbeat to explore a more proactive, data-driven approach to well-being. The collaboration began with a small pilot with senior leaders at the start of 2024, and later expanded into a broader, six-month program that ran from November 2024 to May 2025.

This expanded pilot included 30 team leaders from around the world and was designed to create space for personal reflection, education, and behavior change, anchored by the physiological insights provided by Firstbeat Life.

“What I knew would resonate is that there’s real experience with Firstbeat, in elite sport as well as on the corporate side. Bringing data and visibility to conversations on how we support our individuals within our organization, and linking that to wellness and high performance was a differentiator that stood out with Firstbeat.”

Firstbeat was also chosen because, unlike consumer wearables, it provides a more accurate and reliable solution for professional organizations. Jay explains:

“To those who already have a wearable and ask why I need Firstbeat, the answer was pretty clear: Firstbeat is a medical-grade device with better accuracy, tracking areas with a level of detail and a journal that people don’t typically have on their wearable.

The individual data was confidential, and as a manager or as a firm, we didn’t get to see anyone’s individual data, only the aggregate data, which then enabled us to have the broader conversations on where to focus with this group.”

The project kicked off with an introduction to Firstbeat Life and how to get started with measurements. Participants were encouraged to make measurements whenever they wanted throughout the program. In total, 84 measurements were collected. Each participant also had the opportunity to book a personal 30-minute coaching session with Tiina Hoffman, Firstbeat wellness expert and coach, to explore their individual results and discuss personal insights and goals.

In addition, a monthly online lecture series was held, covering topics such as stress management, sleep, physical activity, and managing one’s daily demands. These sessions deepened the understanding of well-being and tied Firstbeat data to everyday choices and, most importantly, sparked valuable group conversations, experience sharing, and practical insights.

Discoveries and Shift in Habits

The data revealed a wide range of well-being patterns and challenges. Some participants realized how little movement or physical activity there was in their days, while others were exercising excessively, pushing their bodies too hard without enough recovery. Many realized that late evening work had become too much of a habit for them, even when it wasn’t necessary or expected. But the most common challenge was sleep—participants simply weren’t getting enough of it.

As the project progressed, the data began to prompt real change. The group’s average sleep score improved from 38 to 46. Firstbeat’s Tiina Hoffman comments:
“Individuals began integrating recovery breaks into their day, identifying ways to unwind after work, and intentionally keeping some evenings free from work-related activity. Rather than aiming for perfection, participants focused on building sustainable routines that worked for their own lives and energy levels.”

According to Jay Connolly, the power of the program came from the personal nature of the data. “It’s really different when people come to this realization themselves because they have seen the data, and then because they have the opportunity to remeasure and see the difference. That’s where we had success shifting habits with these two programs, because it wasn’t just a lecture series where we were told something; people got to experience it.”

Value for Both the Individual Employee and the Organization

Beyond individual improvements, the pilot also sparked broader conversations inside Baker McKenzie. With anonymous, aggregated data, the group could reflect on common themes and begin identifying areas where the organization itself could better support employee well-being.

“It’s not about ‘fixing individuals’; it’s about fixing the organization and the systems in which we work. There are things I can do, and also things we as an organization can change. Having this data helps us focus on those elements and see how to move forward.”

Jay Connolly sees this as a key outcome. “To talk about the aggregate results helps support whatever was learned on an individual basis. What have we learned as a cohort? And then how are we feeding that in more broadly as a firm, to say what it is that we are learning and taking from these two programs?”

He acknowledges that while the pilot was a small sample, the firm is discussing how to apply these lessons more widely. “We will continue thinking about how to feed that into other things we are doing and how we are better supporting our individuals across the firm.”

What began as a pilot has now helped shift the narrative: from well-being as an individual’s responsibility, to something the entire organization can, and should support. In a high-performance, high-pressure field like law, these small but meaningful steps are helping Baker McKenzie deliver on its commitment to a more sustainable, resilient future for its people.

Highlights from the Firstbeat × Baker McKenzie webinar

Watch the Full Webinar: Securing Sustainable Performance Under the High Demands of Corporate Life – Baker McKenzie