Catalyzing Positive Change

The Institute for Well-Being in Law is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that evolved from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. In August 2017, the Task Force published a comprehensive report titled The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change. The report spotlighted a 2016 study of nearly 13,000 practicing lawyers which found that too many lawyers are not thriving. The release of the report resulted in a national movement among stakeholders in the legal profession to take action to improve well-being.

In December 2020, the Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL) was formed to carry on the movement launched by the National Task Force. IWIL is dedicated to the betterment of the legal profession by focusing on a holistic approach to well-being. Through advocacy, research, education, technical and resource support, and stakeholders’ partnerships, it is driven to lead a culture shift in law to establish health and well-being as core centerpieces of professional success.

A Holistic Approach

The Path to Lawyer Well-Being 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 Path to Lawyer Well-Being report was published 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, President, Institute for Well-Being in Law

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The Well-Being in Law 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.