Wellness: What Is It? Why Is It Important? What We Can Do About It?

The wellness movement has been slow to take hold in the practice of law. There is, perhaps, no other profession that needs to examine the importance of good health and soundness in body, spirit, and mind. Attorneys and the law firms that employ them face considerable stressors, long hours, and experience high rates of substance abuse and mental distress. We all can benefit from an examination as to how we might devote more time and energy towards maintaining our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This course examines, in 3-parts, long-standing challenges to the profession, the critical importance of taking action, and a range of habits we can all take advantage of in betterment of ourselves, our personal relationships, and our professional obligations owed to our clients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the general concept of wellness and discuss why this amorphous concept is not a one-size-fits-all metric

2. Identify professional stressors that attorneys face - both on an external basis and an internal basis

3. Explore the scope of the problem and why the importance of wellness cannot be overstated against the very real risks that attorneys face in terms of substance abuse, mental illness, and the specter of malpractice litigation and professional discipline

4. Survey wellness initiatives that attorneys can explore in order to promote their mental, physical, and spiritual health, with a focus on staying present and grounded in the moment