Join us for the Nationís Largest Legal Well-Being Conference on January 23-25, 2024!

#IWIL2024

We provide four unique well-being tracks: Individual, Workplace, State & Local Task Forces, and Law School.

Over 50 experts share their stories, research, ideas, and inspiring messages to support individual and workplace well-being.

Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College, Yale University, presents the Keynote on Getting Unstuck: Reconnect, Re-Engage, & Revitalize. 

Dry January by Mary Beth OíConnor

There is a time-honored tradition that over 20% of Americans participate in each January- abstaining (dry) or reducing (damp) the amount of alcohol intake for January. Learn why considering a Dry January could be beneficial.

You Will Not Break My Soul by Stephanie Mitchell Hughes

Stephanie Mitchell Hughes shares her story of the toil of working in a toxic environment and how she discovered a new path of hope and well-being, letting go and moving on.

Stephanie will also speak at #IWIL2024 during the Wednesday session Journeys Unveiled: Navigating Mental Health and Advocacy for Black Women in the Legal Profession at 11:00 am ET.

Mental Preparedness for All by Matthew Thiese, PhD, MSPH

Dr. Matt Thiese brings us a look at the intense stress of the legal profession, ways we can acknowledge the unique pressures faced in our field, and ways to foster a healthier, more productive professional life. Learn critical strategies for improving or maintaining good mental health.

Gavin Alexander wrote about his observations and suggestions about the impact of supervisory and managerial relationships on lawyer well-being and how these relationships can be improved by focusing on achieving non-judgmental clarity.

Here is a link to Gavin’s article in PLI Chronicle: Influencing Lawyer Well-Being with Collaborative Clarity

Laura Mahr, Esq. again provides us with some articles she shared with the NC State Bar Journal and the NC Lawyer Assistance Program.

• Bypassing Burnout Beliefs: Eight Steps to Transform Beliefs that Exhaust You (NC Bar)
• 10 Questions to Unearth Subconscious Stuckness and Transform Limiting Beliefs (NCLAP)
• The podcast Transform Limiting Beliefs correlates with the “10 Questions” article and gives listeners a chance to listen as I guide Candace Hoffman, NCLAP Field Coordinator, and podcast host, through the ten questions and then allow listeners to try it for themselves. (NCLAP) ??
• Mental Health Support is Top Lawyer Wellness Perk (Bloomberg Law)
• Making it Back: Bruce Simpson tried to take his own life, then he started healing (ABA Journal)
• Law360 Post regarding IWIL’s Response to the 5th Circuit Decision (Law360)

Dr. Rigby kicks off the first presentation in our new Speaker Series. Next year, we will feature over 20 well-being topics from expert speakers. Our Speaker Series for 2024 will be announced soon!

Date: December 6, 2023

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm ET

Cost: $100

CLE Credits Available

Presented by: Francesca Acocella (Senior Director of Student Life, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law), Krista Larson (Director of Well-Being, Stinson LLP), Shailini George (Professor, Suffolk University Law School)

How law school and the practice of law trains attorneys to ìthink like a lawyer,î which includes legal analysis, risk aversion, attention to detail, and strong judgment in challenging situations. While this skeptical mindset may be appropriate and desirable in certain aspects of the practice of law, these professional advantages can come with serious personal costs. Specifically, pessimism can carry a significant risk for mental health challenges.

Michell Hughes (Assistant Director, NAMI), Kris Mereigh (Director of Well-Being, Covington & Burling, LLC), Marcia Narine Weldon (Director of Transactional Skills Program, Lecturer, University of Miami School of Law Coral Gables)

?Black women in the legal profession often face distinct challenges in their pursuit of well-being. This panel aims to explore a critical and often overlooked aspect of well-being in the legal field ñ the unique experiences of black women legal professionals who have lived experience with mental health challenges and who have used their experience and journey to become advocates for the profession as a whole.

Presented by: Dr. Heidi Gardner (Distinguished Fellow Harvard Law School, and Bestselling Author, Gardner & Co.) and Csilla Ilkei (Insights Director, Gardner & Co.)

Stressors, like heightened internal and client expectations, economic headwinds, rapidly evolving technology, and burgeoning workloads, are taking their toll, causing one in four employees globally to feel burned out. Research shows that the effect on lawyers and law firm staff is even higher. These factors are compounded by the tension of office versus home working, which requires new, creative ways to collaborate within and between teams that are increasingly siloed and fragmented.

This session includes a robust panel hosted by Shannon Callahan (Senior Attorney & Development & Retention Manager, Nixon Peabody) and Ben Carpenter (Senior VP and Deputy GC, U.S. Bank). 

Modeled on the Mindful Business Charter (which has been adopted by a broad base of large law firms and banks as reflected here), US Bank and seven roundtable law firms collaborated to create the outside counsel engagement guidelines. Both the charter and the guidelines are intended to help clients and their outside counsel interact with well-being in mind and cover topics such as out-of-office time, emergencies, communication habits and preferences, and other topics.