Episode 97-What Law Firms Can Learn From Corporate America About Well-Being

Counsel to Counsel - Career Advice for Lawyers

Content provided by Stephen Seckler, Stephen Seckler: attorney career, and Leadership coach. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Stephen Seckler, Stephen Seckler: attorney career, and Leadership coach or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

1+ y ago 42:57

MP3•Episode home

The subject of attorney well-being is a topic of conversation at most major law firms today. Several years ago, the Report of the Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being was issued by the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Judges, and other legal organizations. It called well-being an essential element of a lawyer’s duty of competence.

More recently, Law.com and ALM Intelligence conducted a survey of lawyers and staff members, mostly from large firms, has found that anxiety, depression, and isolation remain at concerning levels. And about 74% of the respondents thought that their work environment contributed to their mental health issues.

When asked about the factors that had a negative impact on mental health, top concerns were always being on call, billable hour pressure, client demands, lack of sleep, and lean staffing.

In January of 2020, The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts created a Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being. And there are similar initiatives in jurisdictions all over the United States.

But what are the core issues that these committees are addressing? Why are businesses paying attention to the subject? How are these issues playing out in a corporate environment and what can the legal community learn from corporate America.

Mari Ryan has thought a lot about well-being in the workplace and while her focus is not the legal community per se, she has worked with companies in many industries to address these issues.

Mari Ryan is a workplace well-being strategist, speaker, and award-winning author. Mari works with organizations to create workplaces where both the people and the business thrive. Mari is the author of award-winning book The Thriving Hive: How People-Centric Workplaces Ignite Engagement and Fuel Results.

Additional Resources

Episode 70-Shailini George on Doing Well and Being Well in the Law
Episode 64-Building Your Practice and Your Management Skills with Mindful Communication
Episode 33-Mindfulness, Biofeedback and the Practice of Law
Massachusetts SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well Being (there are a lot of other resources on this site)

103 episodes

#Careers #Business #Marketing #Alternativelegalcareers #Attorneycoaching #Attorneymarketing #Lawfirmassociates #Lawfirmpartners #Lawfirmpartnership #Lawyers #Legalcareers #Legalmarketing #Stephen Seckler #Stephen Seckler: attorney career #Leadership Coach #Attorney