NEW Well-Being Toolkit for Lawyers and Legal Employers

The National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being’s 2017 report shined a spotlight on evidence that too many lawyers face mental health and substance use disorders or otherwise aren’t thriving. Wanting to support the effort to catalyze positive change, American Bar Association President Hilarie Bass formed a Presidential Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession in September 2017. Its focus is on helping legal employers support healthy work environments, which are critical for lawyer wellness. Research shows that if workplace cultures support well-being, lawyers will be better able to make good choices that allow them to thrive and be their best for clients, colleagues, and work organizations.

Many legal employers are ready to become positive change agents but have been unsure where to start. The new Well-Being Toolkit for Lawyers and Legal Employers is designed to help. It offers tools and practical guidance for legal employers who want to join the lawyer well-being movement by launching organizational initiatives. The Toolkit, created by Presidential Working Group member Anne Brafford (a lawyer and organizational science researcher) can be viewed as a design prototype. It is meant to be a living document that will continue to develop and improve—an effort in which you are encouraged to participate. You can do so by trying out the Toolkit and offering feedback on what’s helpful, what can be improved, and what other resources are available. The Toolkit is offered as another step on the path to lawyer well-being—to help lawyers be their best as they carry out their critical roles contributing to the vitality of our government, business sector, community safety, and individual lives.

Also available is the Well-Being Toolkit Nutshell: 80 Tips For Lawyer Thriving, summarizing 80 of the Toolkit’s key items to help get you started on a lawyer well-being initiative.

Note for Use: The Toolkit is filled with electronic hyperlinks to websites and online resources that appear in blue underlined type. As a result, it is intended primarily for online viewing. If you decide to print the document in hard copy, select “fit to page” in your print dialogue box to ensure proper printing.

             

 

The Bar Examiner Features Lawyer Well-Being Report and Initiatives

An article in the Summer 2018 issue of The Bar Examiner from the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) features the report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.” Published in August 2017, the report recommends ways in which all legal stakeholder can improve the well-being of the legal profession. Author James Coyle, Co-Chair of the Task Force from its inception until his retirement in June 2018, sets out the Task Force recommendations with a focus on those targeted at the bar admissions community, and offers further guidance for bar admission representatives to expand their role in the lawyer well-being movement. Coyle discusses the circumstances that led to the formation of the Task Force, including studies revealing that lawyer well-being is at risk, and provides a comprehensive list of developments – both nationally and at the state level – that have occurred in response to the report. Endeavors at the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Justices and NCBE are featured, and the endnotes contain a detailed inventory of initiatives occurring at the state level, such as the establishment of lawyer well-being task forces and the development of state action plans.

Read, “The Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being and the Role of the Bar Admissions Community in the Lawyer Well-Being Movement,” by James C. Coyle in The Bar Examiner here.

Register Now! The Solo/Small Firm Challenge: Conquering Adversity and the Imposter Syndrome

ABA Free CLE Series Webinar | July 16, 2018 | 1PM ET

Learn techniques to overcome negative thought patterns that can create an “imposter syndrome” that limits your ability to serve your clients with due diligence.

• Do you ever feel like all your accomplishments have been due to luck, chance, appearance, connections, or anything else that isn’t your own smarts, drive, and talent?
• Do you ever worry that you’re going to be exposed as a fraud, even when you’re well into your career or area of expertise?
• Do you feel like everyone around you is smarter, works harder, and does a better job than you do?
• Do you find yourself terrified of making mistakes and constantly believing you are likely to make one no matter how expert you get at your career?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ve got a case of “imposter syndrome.”

The term “imposter syndrome” was coined in the late 1970s and is described as a feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.” It’s generally accompanied to (and exacerbated by) perfectionism, black-and-white thinking, and intense fear of rejection and failure. These thought patterns create a perfect storm of insecurity, anxiety, and stress. Lawyers, especially those in solo practices or small firms, can become paralyzed by these thoughts. Women and minorities can be even more affected by these negative thought patterns.

In this program, we will discuss what imposter syndrome is, how it can affect your competence and judgment as a lawyer, and strategies for beginning to overcome it. Learn more and register here.

Download the program flyer by clicking on the image below.

New Podcast: Depression and Addiction in the Mind of a Lawyer

The State Bar of Texas Podcast just released a new episode, titled “Depression and Addiction in the Mind of a Lawyer.”

In this episode, co-host Bree Buchanan and guest Brian Cuban candidly share their own experiences with addiction and depression and discuss how to recognize warning signs in others and encourage them to seek assistance. They further address how stigma associated with a refusal to acknowledge addiction as a medically-recognized disease prevents those who need it from seeking life-saving treatment.

They say that the goal is for lawyers, judges and law students to, at the first sign of trouble, feel okay reaching out for help – that they shouldn’t have to hit rock bottom first.

Bree Buchanan is the Director of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program of the State Bar of Texas, Chair of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and Co-chair of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. Brian Cuban is a Dallas-based attorney, addiction recovery advocate and author of The Addicted Lawyer.

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Lawyer Assistance Programs provide confidential services and support to judges, lawyers and law students who are facing substance use disorders or mental health issues. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, contact your state or local LAP.

Proposed Resolution 103 – ABA Model Impairment Policy for Legal Employers

Proposed Resolution 103, which adopts an ABA Model Impairment Policy for Legal Employers and urges legal employers to do the same, will go before the ABA House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting in August. The sponsors of proposed Resolution 103 are the ABA Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession, an ABA Presidential Initiative led by President Hilarie Bass, and the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP).

The foundation of this policy is the recognition that well-being is essential to an attorney’s duty of competence, and that impairment is antithetical to both the competence and quality service expected by the clients of the legal employer. To support this duty, legal employers must demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of their personnel, to the prevention of impairments, and to assisting their employees in obtaining treatment when needed.

This policy deals only with the impairment of a legal employee, a sub-set of the overall well-being of a legal employee, and is not meant to encompass the panoply of all well-being initiatives that can be implemented in the legal employer setting. Further, this policy would reinforce and bring up to date an existing ABA policy passed by the House of Delegates in 1990, the Model Law Firm/Legal Department Personnel Impairment Policy and Guidelines.

Everyone is encouraged to talk to their state delegates and other ABA entities to garner support for Resolution 103. Contact Tracy Kepler at tracy.kepler@americanbar.org to provide your support or feedback.

The Solo/Small Firm Challenge: Conquering Adversity and the Imposter Syndrome

ABA Free CLE Series Webinar | July 16, 2018 | 1PM ET

Learn techniques to overcome negative thought patterns that can create an “imposter syndrome” that limits your ability to serve your clients with due diligence.

• Do you ever feel like all your accomplishments have been due to luck, chance, appearance, connections, or anything else that isn’t your own smarts, drive, and talent?
• Do you ever worry that you’re going to be exposed as a fraud, even when you’re well into your career or area of expertise?
• Do you feel like everyone around you is smarter, works harder, and does a better job than you do?
• Do you find yourself terrified of making mistakes and constantly believing you are likely to make one no matter how expert you get at your career?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ve got a case of “imposter syndrome.”

The term “imposter syndrome” was coined in the late 1970s and is described as a feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.” It’s generally accompanied to (and exacerbated by) perfectionism, black-and-white thinking, and intense fear of rejection and failure. These thought patterns create a perfect storm of insecurity, anxiety, and stress. Lawyers, especially those in solo practices or small firms, can become paralyzed by these thoughts. Women and minorities can be even more affected by these negative thought patterns.

In this program, we will discuss what imposter syndrome is, how it can affect your competence and judgment as a lawyer, and strategies for beginning to overcome it. Learn more and register here.

Download the program flyer by clicking on the image below.

Register Now for the 2018 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs

Next Generation: Changing the Culture of the Legal Profession

Lawyers Helping Lawyers in Charleston

September 25-27, 2018

#colap2018

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The 2018 Conference is being held at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. The conference will begin with a Welcome Reception and Opening of the Exhibit Hall late in the afternoon on Tuesday, September 25th and conclude Thursday evening, September 27th with the Annual Conference Dinner.

The conference will have sessions of interest to judges, disciplinary staff, bar leaders, lawyer assistance program directors and staff, law school administrators and law firm managers as well as abundant opportunities to network with LAP personnel and volunteers involved in lawyer assistance programs from across the US, Canada and the UK.

In addition, the Conference features an Exhibit Hall of facilities that focus on treating substance use disorders, addictions, mood disorders, eating disorders, etc. This is a wonderful opportunity to discover new facilities and interact face-to-face with the facilities you use currently.

For more information including attendee registration, exhibitor registration, schedule, speakers, hotel accommodations and travel information, click here.

Register today to guarantee the early-bird rate.

 

Profession-Wide Anti-Stigma Campaign: A Fundraising Challenge

Stigma, shame and fear. These obstacles frequently play a major role in an individual’s decision not to seek help when suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. Too often, lawyers, judges, and law students find themselves wrestling privately with frustration and despair as an addiction or mental health problem dominates their life and threatens their career.

A groundbreaking study in 2016 revealed that at least one in five practicing lawyers are currently experiencing a substance use disorder, and even more lawyers are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Our profession is facing a significant problem, and you may have observed these struggles in a friend, colleague, or perhaps have experienced them yourself. Unfortunately, the stigma attached to mental health and substance use disorders continues to keep many from ever asking for help. They suffer in silence, sometimes dying as a result.

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How You Can Help De-Stigmatize Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

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With growing evidence of distress and dysfunction, the well-being of our profession has come into sharper focus, and there is a heightened willingness to act. Now, we need your help to destigmatize mental health and addiction in the legal profession, and to make those who need it more comfortable seeking help.

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The ABA’s Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs (CoLAP) is planning a profession-wide video campaign and seeks to raise $25,000 by June 30^th.

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Your donation will create high-quality videos that highlight the personal recovery stories of lawyers, judges, and law students who have overcome these issues, serving to raise awareness about the nature of addiction and mental health distress in our profession, and challenging the biases and stigma that surround those problems.

These videos will send the message that recovery from addiction and mental health problems is entirely possible for legal professionals. Your gift will help ensure that fewer of our colleagues face these challenges alone. Please make your gift today by clicking on the donate button to the right.

Thank you for your support!

Patrick Krill Founder, Krill Strategies Member, National Task Force on Lawyer Well-being Member, ABA CoLAP Advisory Committee

Bree Buchanan Director, Texas Lawyer Assistance Program Co-chair, National Task Force on Lawyer Well-being Chair, ABA CoLAP

To learn more about this issue and read The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, visit lawyerwellbeing.net.

WV Supreme Court, IL LAP Establish State-Level Well-Being Task Force

The West Virginia Supreme Court and the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAP) have responded to the call from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being to create a state action plan to address substance use and mental health issues among the legal profession.

In 2016, the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being formed in response to groundbreaking research confirming troubling levels of mental health issues and substance use disorders among law students and lawyers. Their work culminated in the August 2017 report, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change, which sets out 44 ways in which a variety of stakeholders can shift the culture of the legal profession towards one of well-being. Among those recommendations is the development of “state-level action plans” that build from and grow upon the Report.

At the end of February, the newly-formed Illinois Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, established by the Illinois LAP, held its first meeting. On Wednesday, March 21^st, Chief Justice Margaret Workman issued an order to establish the West Virginia Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being.

Learn more about the Illinois Task Force in, “LAP Forms Illinois Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being,” from the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.

Learn more about the West Virginia Task Force in, “WV Supreme Court establishes task force for lawyer well-being,” from the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

A List of Lawyer Well-Being Podcasts

Looking for something to listen to during your commute to work? Here are some podcast episodes and series worth checking out:

You’re in a pickle. Can a lawyer assistance program help? From the ABA Journal Asked & Answered Podcast
Bree Buchanan talks about how lawyers assistance programs work, and how a person can reach out for assistance.

The State Bar of Michigan’s “On Balance” Podcast Series
Hosted by JoAnn Hathaway of the bar’s Practice Management Resource Center and Tish Vincent of its Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, the series focuses on the need for interplay between practice management and lawyer-wellness for a thriving law practice.

Attorney Mental Health and Wellness, from The Florida Bar Podcast
Larry Krieger expands on why attorneys often struggle with depression and the wellbeing factors that may lead to satisfaction in a legal career.

ABA Midyear 2018: The ABA’s Opioid Summit, from the Legal Talk Network On the Road Podcast
Jack Young talks about why the ABA’s Opioid Summit is important and how it will help lawyers deal with the crisis both professionally and personally.

Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession, from the Legal Talk Network On the Road Podcast
Jeff Kuester talks about functional alcoholism and why it’s important for lawyers to monitor their alcohol consumption.

Voices of Recovery Podcast Series, from the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs
A podcast series about overcoming substance use disorders, mental health issues and addiction. The lawyers featured in this series have all agreed to tell their story in the hope that it will reduce the stigma surrounding these issues and encourage others to get the help they need.

Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Voices of Recovery and Stories of Recovery Podcast Series
A podcast where Texas attorneys discuss how they reclaimed their lives from substance abuse and mental health issues. We bring you these podcasts—and these lawyers are coming forward with their stories—to let members of the State Bar of Texas know that help is available and recovery is possible.