Balancing the Scales: Practical Stress Management for Lawyers

This program will benefit lawyers and judges who are negatively impacted by the stress of practicing law. Attendees will learn what sets lawyers up to be stressed and overwhelmed and will become familiarized with the well-being spectrum for self-assessment. Attendees will be educated on the hallmarks of high levels of stress in themselves and others and will be provided tools for managing stress and resources for obtaining assistance if needed.

Topics covered include:

Attorney Wellness Law Practice Legal Ethics

Agenda:

Who Is Lynn Garson?

Lynn Garson's personal lived experience with mental health issues and addiction
A few things no one tells you

Framework

Introduction to the concept of the well-being continuum
Expansion on each stated point in the continuum

Wellness/prevention
Need for mental health support/intervention
Suicidal ideation/crisis

Identifying Stress on Law Practice and Practical Strategies for Managing Stress in Ourselves & Others

Naming the sources of stress and the stresses that are particular to lawyers
Addressing the impact on practice
Introduction to the concept of multiple self-imposed stumbling blocks preventing effective stress management
Practical tips and ideas

Providing Resources to Help With Stress Management, Burn Out and More Intense Issues

Informing the audience about lawyers' assistance programs, peer programs, community support groups (e.g., 12-step programs), apps, and other useful programs and tools

Questions & Answers

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: September 20, 2023 11:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction and Speaker Background

Lynn Garson's background includes her work as an attorney and her advocacy for mental health, having published a memoir and spoken at various organizations. The webinar aims to provide practical stress management tools for legal professionals, emphasizing that stress is a manageable issue. The agenda includes identifying stress, addressing it in legal practice, and helping colleagues, with a focus on self-awareness and personal growth.

05:20 Mental Health Journey and Stress Management

Lynn Garson shares her personal mental health journey, detailing her experiences with major clinical depression and other disorders while maintaining her professional responsibilities. She emphasizes the hidden nature of mental health struggles, noting that colleagues were unaware of her condition unless she chose to disclose it. Lynn discusses the non-linear nature of recovery, highlighting the importance of ongoing treatment and personal effort in managing mental health. She reflects on the stigma surrounding mental health in the legal profession and the need for strategic approaches to seeking help. Lynn underscores the connection between mental health challenges and stress, expressing concern for those experiencing burnout or panic attacks.

16:00 The Well-Being Continuum and Self-Care Strategies

Lynn emphasizes the importance of preventative care and self-awareness in managing stress, likening it to having reserves for challenging times. She discusses the spectrum of stress management, from wellness to crisis, and the need for appropriate interventions at each stage. Lynn highlights the tendency of lawyers to over-rely on self-help strategies, urging them to recognize when external support is necessary. She provides examples of wellness activities and stresses the importance of breath work as a simple, effective stress management tool. Lynn outlines various forms of mental health support, including therapy, peer support, and employee assistance programs, encouraging lawyers to utilize these resources.

26:44 Addressing Stress in Legal Practice

Lynn Garson discusses the characteristics of lawyers that contribute to stress, such as perfectionism, over-identification with work, and imposter syndrome. She highlights the impact of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue on legal professionals, particularly those in high-stress areas like public defense. Lynn emphasizes the importance of recognizing changes in behavior as indicators of stress or mental distress in oneself and colleagues. She shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the subtle signs of stress and the importance of addressing them before they escalate. Lynn discusses the myths surrounding mental health, such as the belief that asking about self-harm might push someone over the edge, and stresses the importance of open dialogue.

40:42 Perfectionism and Self-Discipline

Lynn emphasizes that lawyers must learn about themselves to break their habits and then accept their reality. She stresses the need to prioritize addressing issues that come up to preserve one's mental health. Lynn shares a personal story of work stress and learning to have the self-discipline to prioritize her mental health. Lynn reiterates the dangers of perfectionism and how to overcome it.

58:02 Community Support and Resources

Lynn Garson highlights the importance of community support and peer programs in managing stress and mental health challenges. She discusses the role of lawyer assistance programs and employee assistance programs in providing support and resources. Lynn emphasizes the need for leadership in law firms to create a safe environment for discussing mental health without fear of penalty. She advocates for institutional best practices, such as defined back-to-work policies after mental health leave, to support employees. Lynn introduces the ABA Wellbeing Pledge as a framework for promoting wellness in legal practice, highlighting the challenges of changing drinking culture and implementing back-to-work policies.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Wellness Competence

Earn Credit Until: September 19, 2025

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Substance Abuse/Mental Health

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Professional Well-Being

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Earn Credit Until: January 31, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of Wellness Competence CLE credit in California, one hour of Substance Abuse/Mental Health CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), and one hour of Professional Well-Being CLE credit in North Carolina. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours, of which 1.00 credit hours will apply to Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit.

Justia only reports attendance in jurisdictions in which a particular Justia CLE Webinar is officially accredited. Lawyers may need to self-submit their certificates for CLE credit in jurisdictions not listed above.

Note that CLE credit, including partial credit, cannot be earned outside of the relevant accreditation period. To earn credit for a course, a lawyer must watch the entire course within the relevant accreditation period. Lawyers who have viewed a presentation multiple times may not be able to claim credit in their jurisdiction more than once. Justia reserves the right, at its discretion, to grant an attendee partial or no credit, in accordance with viewing duration and other methods of verifying course completion.

At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

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Speaker

Lynn S. Garson Counsel
BakerHostetler, LLP

Lynn Garson practices healthcare law at Baker & Hostetler in the firm’s Atlanta office. Ms. Garson’s areas of expertise include physician practice acquisitions, employment, independent contractor and related agreements. Read More ›

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