IWIL Catalyst – September 2023 - Institute For Well-Being In Law

IWIL Catalyst – September 2023

Suicide – It’s Time to Talk
Sheryl Roberts

September is Suicide Awareness Month. Although articles, television ads, and initiatives have brought more awareness to the growing crisis of suicide, the truth is that the stigma, shame, and unwillingness to discuss suicide remains. Your ability to share and listen could be the turning point for somebody, and your ability to provide resources could save someone’s life. How do we strengthen these abilities? Sheryl Roberts discusses the recent data and how to approach conversations about suicide in Suicide – It’s Time to Talk.

Sheryl Roberts has over thirty years’ experience in law firms and discovered her passion for legal recruiting about fifteen years ago, which led to her passion for lawyer development, wellness, and DEI. She is a Co-Chair of the Triangle Area Legal Recruitment Association and an active member of the National Association for Law Placement, where she has served on several committees and work groups, presented and participated in webinars, and been published in the NALP Bulletin.

Striking the Balance in Law: Remote Work and In-Office Presence
Matthew S. Thiese, PhD, MSPH

As the legal industry adapts to the future of work, it is met with a crucial challenge: balancing the convenience and flexibility of remote work with the benefits and traditional requirement of physical presence in the law office. This balance is essential to harness the advantages of both work settings while accommodating the diverse needs and preferences of legal professionals. In Striking the Balance in Law: Remote Work and In-Office Presence, researcher and professor Matthew S. Thiese, PhD, MSPH, discusses the research and offers strategies for achieving this balance in a law firm context.

Matthew S. Thiese, PhD, MSPH

Dr. Thiese has extensive experience in designing and conducting epidemiologic and interventional research. His research focuses on the overlap between a person’s job and their health, including everything from musculoskeletal disorders like Low Back Pain or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, to motor vehicle crashes, to COVID-19, to mental well-being. His research seeks to identify potential risk factors, interventions to prevent injury or illness, evidence-based practice for both treatment and prevention, and assessments of worker health and safety fitness-for-duty. Dr. Thiese currently is conducting research in several different areas of mental health and mental fitness in the law profession.

Dr. Thiese’s graduate degrees are in Public Health, specifically Occupational Epidemiology and Injury Prevention. He is a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine and has co-authored numerous articles. He also serves on the board for the Institute for Well-Being in Law as the Vice-President for Research and Scholarship.

Invitation to Participate in an Inclusion & Well-Being Study in the Legal Profession

Anne Brafford, IWIL’s Vice President of Programming, has been working toward her Ph.D. in positive organizational psychology since leaving the practice of law as a law firm partner. She has launched her dissertation study on inclusion and well-being and invites the participation of practicing lawyers and professional staff who work closely with lawyers.

Research Focus: Anne’s work always has focused on the intersection of engagement, inclusion, and well-being, and her dissertation study continues that focus. It investigates how supervisor-employee work relationships might affect employees’ experience of inclusion, work motivation, well-being, and performance in the legal profession. She hopes this research will provide useful information to legal employers about what makes employees feel included and how to foster great performance, support well-being, and engage and retain talent.
Defining & Fostering Inclusion: Anne’s dissertation proposes a new definition of the subjective experience of inclusion. A main contributing factor is employees’ ability to harmonize work identities with their important non-work identities such that their experience and behaviors derive from a more authentic, integrated sense of self. “Non-work identities” include our multiple, overlapping social identities (e.g., gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age), our identities (especially our core values), and our non-work role identities (e.g., spouse, parent). High-quality supervisor-employee relationships that support identity development and harmony include supporting employees’ sense of connection, competence, and autonomy or authenticity.
Study Description: A fuller description of the study can be found here.
Target Audience for the Study: Because the study focuses on relationships, it requires supervisor-employee pairs. The study focuses primarily on lawyers working in law firms, corporate legal departments, or government agencies. Professional staff who work frequently with lawyers are also invited to participate (e.g., professional development, talent management, DEI, well-being, paralegals, and legal secretaries).
Deadline: September 29
Questions? If you have questions, please contact Anne at ambrafford@gmail.com.

Start Survey Now

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. There is content included in this month’s Alert that contains discussions about suicide and suicidal ideation, which some readers may find uncomfortable or triggering. This information is provided for educational purposes. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline in your country. For the United States, you can call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 (https://988lifeline.org/) or message the Crisis Text Line at 741741 (https://www.crisistextline.org/). Both programs provide free, confidential support 24/7.

As the legal industry adapts to the future of work, it is met with a crucial challenge: balancing the convenience and flexibility of remote work with the benefits and traditional requirement of physical presence in the law office. This balance is essential to harness the advantages of both work settings while accommodating the diverse needs and preferences of legal professionals. In Striking the Balance in Law: Remote Work and In-Office Presence, researcher, professor, and IWIL VP of Research and Scholarship Matthew S. Thiese, PhD, MSPH discusses the research and offers strategies for achieving this balance in a law firm context.

LEGAL PROFESSION

Suicide Awareness: Mike’s Story (Trigger Warning). >> Link. Watch Mike Kasdan, IWIL Volunteer and Well-Being Champion, share his mental health journey.

What does wellness mean for lawyers? Thomson Reuters, August 1, 2023. >> Link. This article explores why wellness is important in the legal profession. It also recommends ways for making wellness a priority.

Task Force Recommends Steps to Improve Lawyer Well-Being, Professional Performance, and Public Trust in the Legal System. Michigan Task Force on Well-Being in the Law, August 21, 2023. >> Link. Michigan’s Task Force of Well-Being in the Law released a comprehensive report that includes 21 recommendations for law students and schools, practitioners, and judicial officers to address the well-being of the legal profession.

Lawyer Well-Being in Biglaw. State Bar of Michigan Podcast. >> Link. Interview with Anthony Sallah, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Stacy Sampeck, Director, Assistant General Counsel at 3M. They discuss well-being in large law firms and in-house counsel departments.

How to Navigate Work-Life Balance at a Law Firm. By Ashley Merryman,U.S. News & World Report, August 9, 2023. >> Link. An overview of the unique challenges facing well-being in the legal profession and how it compares to other professions.

The Problem of Connecting Overconfidence With Optimism. By Mark B. Baer, Esq., Psychology Today, August 10, 2023. >> Link. A review of Optimistic Overconfidence: A Study of Law Student Academic Predictions, suggests approximately 95% of the students surveyed thought they would finish in the top half of their class.

Changing the Culture at Law Firms to Promote Wellness and Mental Well-Being. ABA Journal: Legal Rebels Podcast. >> Link. O’Melveny partner and COO George Demos discusses well-being in the legal profession. He leads O’Melveny’s Living Well program.

BEYOND THE LEGAL PROFESSION

Three New Ideas About Happiness and Well-Being. By Kira M. Newman, Greater Good Magazine, August 7, 2023. >> Link. The article discusses some additional considerations related to well-being that should be included in the overall well-being movement.

Mindfulness Without Community Isn’t Enough, New Research Suggests. By Sarah Regan. mindbodygreen.com, August 17, 2023.>> Link. The article explores research that includes the benefits of community-based mindfulness that haven’t been traditionally considered.

The Undeniable Link Between Well-Being and Productivity. By Andrew Deutscher, Forbes, August 22, 2023. >> Link. Well-being is integral to workplace productivity, but what does that mean? It is not just physical health programs but mental health programs need to be considered, and the responsibility needs to be shared by all, especially leaders.

A Problem with Workplace Health and Well-Being Programs. By Jamie Gruman, Ph.D., Psychology Today, August 21, 2023. >> Link. This is another article that explores workplace well-being programs and what they need to include.

State Bar of Georgia Attorney Wellness Committee, Wellness and Practical Skills Institute

Join the Attorney Wellness Committee of the State Bar of Georgia at the Wellness and Practical Skills Institute, Sept. 21-24, at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. The Institute will feature Judi Cohen, U.C. Berkeley and Founder of Warrior One, as the keynote speaker, along with IWIL’s very own Bree Buchanan and Michael Kasdan with others who will cover attorney well-being trends, mindfulness, law firm strategies for well-being and promoting well-being for the Bench and Bar, among other topics. 12 CLE hours, including two ethics, one professionalism, and one trial practice hour, are available. For more information and to register, please visit the website. The hotel deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Reed Smith Virtual Law Student Mental Health Summit

Thursday, October 12, 2023

9:00 AM ET-3:00 PM ET

ABA Well-Being Pledge Virtual Fall Workshop

The ABA CoLAP Well-Being Pledge Committee has set a date for this year’s fall workshop: Thursday, November 9, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Please save the date! More details on registration and the specific program schedule are forthcoming, but this fall workshop will be a special event to celebrate the Five-Year Anniversary of the Pledge.

*Please note: This workshop will be open to organizations that are not currently Pledge Signatories.

IWIL Conference

January 23-25, 2024

Well-Being Week in the Law 2024

May 6-10, 2024

From the IWIL Board President – Chris Newbold

I wanted to share an IWIL update. Our inaugural Executive Director, Jennifer DiSanza, has decided to leave the organization at the end of September. We’re grateful for Jennifer’s service to IWIL, especially her leadership and organization, which helped IWIL establish its strong operational foundation. Jennifer will continue to be active in the well-being movement as a volunteer.

Appreciating the importance of our work and those committed to engineering a culture shift in the legal profession, the board moved quickly to identify our next leader to ensure continuity of momentum.

I’m pleased to announce we’ve named Dr. Denise Gaskin as interim ED. Denise has been a valued IWIL board member and most recently chaired our Fund Development Committee. She’s a thought leader, visionary, and a proven executioner of strategy. She’s been a committed member of IWIL’s vast and growing volunteer base and will come to the role familiar with our structure, vision, mission, goals, and priorities. Highly skilled, Denise possesses a proven track record of success in the nonprofit sector and has also been COO of a large, regional Portland-based law firm. We’re fortunate to have Denise at the helm to move us forward on our three strategic pillars of Education and Awareness, Advocacy and Technical Support, and Research

and Scholarship. Learn more about Denise here.

We appreciate your involvement in the vision that lies ahead to ensure well-being is a core centerpiece of professional success for all in law. If you would like to drop a thank you to Jennifer for her dedication, a welcome note to Denise, or have any questions for me, please reach out.