Over the past 10 years, conversations about health and well-being in the legal profession have become increasingly common, often focusing on the disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide across the lifespan of those serving in the legal profession — law students, lawyers, and judicial officers. New research is released on a regular basis showing that each cohort is continuing to suffer, often in silence.
Those are the facts, but they aren’t the whole story. The reality is that we all have a role in how the story unfolds. In fact, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change, published in 2017 by the National Task Force for Lawyer Well-Being (now the Institute for Well-Being in Law), created an outline for us to fill in. The report identified six dimensions of well-being and steps that individuals and organizations can take to promote and support well-being across those dimensions. We’ve added a seventh dimension — environmental — to the model we use at Thought Kitchen.
This session will begin with an overview of the research about lawyer, law student, and judicial officer well-being, and the dimensions of well-being as set forth in The Path to Lawyer Well-Being. Then, there will be facilitated discussion about each dimension of well-being, including the following inquiries:
- What does each dimension of well-being look like for you?
- What gets in the way?
- What does support look like?
Participants will leave with an increased ability to:
- Acknowledge the serious challenges to the well-being of lawyers, law students, and judicial officers and recognize the impact those challenges have on professional conduct
- Identify the dimensions of well-being and specific practices to support each dimension
- Consider the ways in which each of us can impact the culture of the legal profession to support and promote well-being
- Overview of Research and the Dimensions of Well-Being
- Research on lawyer and judicial officer well-being
- Defining well-being
- Introduction to the seven dimensions of well-being
- Facilitated Discussion of Each of the Dimensions of Well-Being
- Emotional
- Social
- Physical
- Environmental
- Spiritual
- Intellectual
- Occupational
- Building your well-being menu
- What does each dimension of well-being look like for you?
- What gets in the way?
- What does support look like?
- Questions & Answers (as time permits)
*CLE credit is only available to Justia Connect Pros. Not a Pro? Upgrade today>>
Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 Wellness Competence
Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 Substance Abuse/Mental Health
Difficulty: All Levels
Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 Professional Well-Being
Status: Pending
Credits: TBD
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. An application for accreditation of this activity has been submitted to the MCLE Committee of the State Bar of Texas and is pending.
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.

Thought Kitchen, LLC
Jill Carnell (she/her) is a curious entrepreneur and compassionate disruptor who enjoys convening people, resources, processes, and ideas to bring more ease to our daily lives. Read More ›

Thought Kitchen, LLC
Loretta Oleksy (she/her) is a lawyer, social worker, and group facilitator dedicated to helping people connect with what lights them up. She loves helping people discover their strengths and learn to align their lives and work with them. Read More ›