2021 Well-Being Week in Law
May 3-7, 2021
LCL joins with lawyer assistance programs nationwide to celebrate 2021 Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL) May 3-7, 2021. The aim of WWIL is to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innovation across the profession to improve well-being. In 2021, the event’s name was changed from “Lawyer Well-Being Week” to Well-Being Week in Law to be more explicitly inclusive of all of the important contributors to the legal profession who are not lawyers.
Learn about LCL CLEs and additional Minnesota and national initiatives here.
Thank You!
Many thanks to all sponsors and attendees of LCL’s 2021 Stepping Up Celebration of LCL’s 45 years of providing help & hope to the legal profession. Special thanks to the Honorable Donovan Frank for emceeing the event and to ABA President Patricia Refo for her inspirational keynote address.
View Sponsors and Supporters here.
LCL CONNECTION GROUPS
LCL offers two check-in and support opportunities each week via Zoom videoconferencing. Click LCL Resources and Connections May for more information and joining instructions.
- The Path to Well-Being Group, Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Lawyers in Transition: Career Challenges and Change, meets from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. on the first Monday (May 3), and from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. on all other Mondays (May 10, 17, 24).
Recovery Support Meetings
LCL has a long history of supporting recovery through many avenues, although our roots are in the 12 Step tradition. While these listed groups are not “official” LCL groups, LCL does provide space and technological support for these weekly Recovery Support meetings.
Mondays, except holidays, at 12:15 p.m. via phone temporarily. This meeting follows the traditional 12 Steps framework. Call 651-646-5590 or 866-525-6466 or email us for information.
Please click here for other meeting links.
NEW! Resilience in Recovery Group
This group is a positive support network for adult men and women at all stages of substance use recovery working or being educated in the legal profession. The goal of the gatherings would be to focus on gaining strength in one’s individual goals related to recovery. Participants engaged in medication-assisted recovery are welcomed to attend. Additionally, clients are not required to have any previous substance use treatment experience. A sincere desire for abstinence will be the most successful in this group. To register for this group or for more information, contact Jill Carlson, MA LPCC.
The Resilience in Recovery Group meets the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month
2nd Thursday at 4:00 p.m.: March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8
4th Friday at 10:30 a.m.: March 26, April 23, May 28, June 25, July 23
ABA Releases Comprehensive Report on Judicial Stress
As reported here, the ABA today released a comprehensive report in the 2020 Journal of The Professional Lawyer which “survey[ed] more than 1,000 judges across the United States suggests job stress has become a serious health concern in the state judicial ranks, with about one-third or more reporting fatigue and low energy, sleep disturbance or disturbed attention and concentration.”
“The report, Stress and Resiliency in the U.S. Judiciary, is considered the most comprehensive review of well-being of its kind for the judicial ranks and builds on an ABA 2016 study of lawyer well-being and a separate law student well-being study that same year.” (View Source on ABA Website)
The report is co-authored by LCL Executive Director Joan Bibelhausen.
Self-Care Tips
Lawyers are often on the “frontline” of political controversies both local and national. Unfortunately, these controversies haven’t ended with the New Year. If you’re suffering from stress or anxiety relating to current events, click here for helpful advice.
Mindfulness, the Breath, and Well-Being
We are juggling multiple demands, we are facing, or helping clients who are facing trauma, and we are working and living in challenging times. Attention to the breath, a key to mindfulness practices, has taken on new meaning since the death of George Floyd. This article discusses the importance of in-the-moment awareness to our well-being.
LCL COVID-19 RESOURCES
LCL is committed to supporting well-being in these challenging times. We have created two documents to offer support and information. COVID-19 and Well-Being offers selected and vetted resources. LCL Online and Remote Support and Recovery Resources offers links to meetings and many other options. Home is Where the Health is provides links to positive remote and virtual experiences to support us as we work and thrive from home. We are available to take your calls.
May Newsletters
- Sand Creek EAP Frontline Employee Newsletter
- Sand Creek EAP Frontline Supervisor Newsletter
- Sand Creek EAP Hot Topic: Promoting Positive Mental Health
Wellness Resources
Sand Creek EAP provides numerous resources covering a wide range of topics on its website. You can set up your own free account and access them on your own schedule. Click here to visit their site. Click the “My Life Expert Login” button to sign in or create your new account. When creating your account, use “lawyers” as the Company Access Code.
Suicide Prevention: Every Lawyer’s Opportunity
What are the signs and what can I say? This article will provide some guidance on reducing our risk.
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