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Breaking the Silence: Confronting Stress, Substance Use & Burnout in Law

Lawyers are busy zealously taking care of clients, but who is taking care of them? In the high-pressured, fast-paced world of law, mental health and wellness suffers. Not allowed to show any weakness or vulnerability, lawyers soldier on and put up a good front while issues with stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout fester. The legal profession struggles with how it handles the pervasive issues of substance and alcohol misuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and other destructive behaviors, diseases and disorders. Denial and stigma stop lawyers from seeking help. This seminar encourages us to confront these issues directly and remain silent no more.

Topics covered include:

Substance Use Attorney Wellness Legal Ethics

Agenda:

Introduction & Overview

Speaker background
Roadmap for presentation

Mental Health

State of the profession
Stigmas and stereotypes

Stress

Stress and eustress
Anxiety and depression

Substance Use

Legal culture
Alcohol dependency and disordered use
Drug misuse and addictions

Burnout

Occupational stress and exhaustion
Resources v. demands

Intersection With Neurodiversity

Risk variation
Masking

Attorney’s Path to Wellness

Self-care strategies
External resources

Questions & Answers (as time permits)

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: October 9, 2025 9:00 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

Lenor Marquis-Segal, the speaker, is introduced as a seasoned attorney with a focus on diversifying and humanizing the legal profession. Lenor plans to discuss stress, substance abuse, and burnout in law, aiming for open conversations on these often overlooked topics. She shares her extensive experience in various legal settings and emphasizes the importance of dialogue in addressing professional challenges.

05:17 Stress and Mental Health Challenges in Law

Lenor highlights the caring nature of the legal profession, which often leads to stress due to constant client concerns and tight deadlines. Lawyers face stigma around mental health, fearing that admitting to struggles could disadvantage their clients or be used against them. The profession's high rates of substance abuse and mental health issues are supported by statistics, showing a need for open discussion. Lenor explains the archetype of lawyers as perfectionists and people pleasers, contributing to stress and mental health challenges.

31:31 Substance Use and Legal Culture

Substance use is prevalent, with legal events often centered around alcohol, contributing to dependency issues. Lenor discusses why lawyers in particular experience substance use issues. She highlights the ethical consequences of failing to address substance use issues in the legal profession.

38:03 Burnout and Neurodiversity

Lenor discusses how burnout arises for lawyers. She addresses the intersection of neurodiversity and mental health, noting higher depression rates among neurodiverse individuals. She emphasizes the importance of individualized care for those who are not neurotypical, highlighting the stress of masking.

43:48 Path to Wellness and Self-Care

Self-care strategies are discussed, including sleep, exercise, and engaging in hobbies and social activities. Lenor advocates for exploring health insurance benefits and engaging in activities like yoga and meditation for wellness. External resources like therapy and lawyer assistance programs are recommended for mental health support. Volunteering and mentoring are recommended for their positive impact on mental well-being. Lawyers are encouraged to take breaks, say no to excessive demands, and advocate for their own needs.

57:30 Q&A and Professional Strategies

Lenor suggests alternatives to alcohol-centered legal events, promoting mocktails and non-alcoholic options. Bar associations and licensing bodies are seen as both part of the problem and solution in addressing mental health stigma. Untreated burnout can affect an attorney's competence, leading to exhaustion, cynicism, and a lack of agency. Firm-wide strategies to reduce attrition include promoting healthier work environments and modeling better behavior from leadership.

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 Prevention and Detection Competence

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.20 Ethics/Professionalism

Earn Credit Until: October 8, 2026

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Professional Well-Being

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

South Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Substance Abuse/Mental Health

Difficulty: All Levels

Earn Credit Until: December 31, 2025

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Earn Credit Until: September 30, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of Prevention and Detection Competence CLE credit in California, one hour of Professional Well-Being CLE credit in North Carolina, and one hour of Substance Abuse/Mental Health CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels). This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 1.20 qualify as total hours of credit for Ethics/Professionalism. 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.

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Speaker

Lenor Marquis-Segal Attorney

Lenor Marquis-Segal has been a practicing attorney for 23 years in a variety of settings from Biglaw to boutique. She is currently in-house with Hitachi Energy, where she is litigation counsel. She holds degrees from Cornell (BS) and NYU Law (JD), and is admitted in California, New York, and North Carolina. Lenor is passionate about diversifying and humanizing the profession. She is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid (USA) by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.