Catalyzing Positive Change

The National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being is a coalition of entities committed to catalyzing a movement to improve well-being in the legal profession. In August 2017, the Task Force published a comprehensive report titled The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change. The report spotlights a 2016 study of nearly 13,000 practicing lawyers which found that too many lawyers are not thriving. The report does not stop at identifying problems. It also offers concrete, actionable recommendations for stakeholders across the profession.

A Holistic Approach

The report includes 44 recommendations for improving the legal profession’s culture and supporting lawyers’ full well-being. Because an absence of illness is not the same thing as being fully well, the report focuses on promoting health and happiness as well as preventing and treating impairment. You’ll find general recommendations that apply across the profession as well as sections tailored to specific institutional stakeholders:

  • Judges

  • Regulators

  • Legal Employers

  • Law Schools

  • Bar Associations

  • Professional Liability Carriers

  • Lawyer Assistance Programs

We’ve Come A Long Way

“So much progress has been made since the National Task Force published its Path to Lawyer Well-Being report in 2017. Still, there’s a long way to go. Cultural transformation will take sustained innovation and persistence. Every stakeholder in the profession has the power to take steps toward positive change and should embrace their responsibility for doing so. We all can make a difference.”

 

Bree Buchanan, Co-Chair and Founder of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, Chair ABA CoLAP, Senior Advisor, Krill Strategies

It’s Time To Choose Better

“Mental health and well-being in the legal profession is about more than just lawyers and law students. It’s also about their families, clients, colleagues, and role in society. When the profession falls short and its members struggle, too many other people lose. And although we can’t change where we’ve been as a profession, we can certainly choose where we want to go from here, and it’s time to choose better.”

 

Patrick Krill, Founder, Krill Strategies, National Task Force member and report co-author, lead author of the 2016 national study that catalyzed the report

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The Lawyer Well-Being Movement Is Sweeping The Nation

The National Task Force report triggered a wave of concern and action across the country. Hover over a state on the map to find out what State Task Forces and Commissions are doing to promote thriving in the legal profession.