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Being a lawyer can be stressful and taxing, even in the best of times, and the result can have severe and detrimental impacts on attorney wellbeing. There are many efforts to address this growing concern, including Lawyer Assistance Programs and initiatives such as the creation of Attorney Well-Being Week. Some states require attorneys to enroll in wellness-related continuing legal education courses in categories such as substance abuse and mental health. Most other states will accredit wellness programs as ethics credits.
Combating the epidemic of attorney fatigue requires structural change at law firms and other legal workplaces, and in the justice system writ large. For individual attorneys, however, there are skills you can learn to manage stress on an everyday basis. If you’re looking for some new strategies to manage and care for your own mental health, check out one of Lawline’s top five Attorney Wellness CLE programs, designed to be practical, enjoyable, and most importantly, to help you deal with the daily struggles every lawyer is familiar with:
- Overcoming Compassion Fatigue: Attorney Wellness When Working With Clients in Trauma. Many legal matters occur at times of acute stress, and attorneys who work with clients who have faced trauma frequently experience secondary trauma during their representation. This course provides techniques for preventing and managing secondary trauma, including specific advice on listening to traumatic stories, and self-care practices.
- Depression: An Occupational Hazard of the Legal Profession. This program goes beyond the statistics on lawyer depression and substance abuse, providing a comprehensive overview of risk factors and symptoms of depression and intervention strategies for attorneys with colleagues in need of support. It also outlines the resources that are available to attorneys who are struggling.
- Striving for a (Realistic) Attorney Work/Life Balance in 2021. Setting and maintaining a realistic work-life balance is particularly important for attorneys. Fortunately, this is a skill that can be learned. This course provides information on identifying the early warning signs of impairment and burnout, as well as well-being strategies that really work.
- Developing Resilience and Achieving Well-Being in Times of Challenge and Chaos. As law firms and other workplaces re-open, any "return to normal" must include a reckoning with the struggles and trauma of the last year, and this means building cultures of resilience and well-being. This course will use case studies to teach attorneys and law firm leaders specific techniques to develop mindfulness, resilience, and reduce workplace stressors.
- Stress Management for Attorneys: Ethical Traps for the Unwary. This informative and interesting course focuses on the effects of chronic stress and how these impair a lawyer’s ability to practice law. The program uses neuroscience to describe the impact of chronic stress and teaches evidence-based strategies to manage it. One viewer called it the “best and most useful ethics course I have ever taken.”
- “I Don't Belong” — Imposter Syndrome in the Legal Profession. Living in constant fear of discovery, attorneys strive for perfection in everything they do. Attorneys might feel guilty or worthless when they can't achieve perfection on the job, not to mention burned out and overwhelmed by their continued efforts. The results can be devastating. This course will help you attain a better understanding of the concept of imposter syndrome and overcome the self-doubts that prevent you from achieving your career objectives.
- Argue Better: Improve Civility Through Enhanced Self-Awareness. Conflict is an unavoidable component of the legal profession, which can sometimes result in inappropriate or rude behavior toward colleagues and others. This attorney wellness program provides valuable instruction on how to curb impulsive actions and respond to stressful situations with more patience and civility.
- Attorney Licensure and the Impaired Professional (Update). Substance use disorders and mental health challenges can affect any attorney regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status. This program helps attorneys recognize the signs of an impaired professional and offers information about resources that assist in the recovery process. The course also provides information on the potential disciplinary implications of impairment in the legal profession.
- Be It Resolved: Striving for a (Realistic) Work/Life Balance for Lawyers in 2022. Recent studies have shown that there has been a dramatic increase in impairment due to alcoholism, addiction, and mental health disorders among members of the legal profession. This continuing legal education course helps attorneys learn essential steps for attaining a healthier balance between work and life. Discover how to establish realistic goals that increase productivity and reduce stress.
- Beyond Mere Lip Service: Best Practices for Creating a Wellness Program that Supports the Needs of Lawyers. This course explores the motivational forces that compel lawyers to achieve and how they sometimes contradict the factors that lead to career fulfillment. The program includes an analysis of well-being resources for attorneys and explores what makes lawyers happy. It also reviews the implied ethical obligations of maintaining well-being.
11. Breaking the Law of Stress. While practicing law can be stressful, an attorney's mindset plays a crucial role in how they manage the pressure and its impact on their mental health. This course helps you learn how to view stress as helpful instead of harmful. You will also discover ways to use stress to your advantage while minimizing its adverse health effects.
12. Channeling Your Physical, Social & Emotional Energy Into a More Ethical Law Practice. Many attorneys are unaware of the effect that their emotional health has on their professional lives. This interactive program delves into the layers of physical, social, and emotional energy behaviors and their impact. Discover how to identify specific self-care techniques that alleviate stress and increase resiliency.
13. Compassion Fatigue and Trauma-Informed Legal Practice. This course sheds light on the sources of stress and trauma in the legal profession and the clients it serves. Learn various methods for managing compassion fatigue, developing a trauma-informed practice, and improving organizational health.
14. Channeling Your Physical, Social & Emotional Energy Into a More Ethical Law Practice. This interactive program shows you how to perform a self-assessment of your physical, social, and emotional needs and unique energy behaviors. You will learn to identify when you are experiencing stress in any of these areas and the self-care steps that can help you manage it.
15. Emotional Freedom Technique/EFT Tapping for Lawyers. This program explores how to use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tool to promote wellness. You will learn how the brain processes stress and how it appears in the human body.
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At Lawline, we aim to help you take charge of your professional and personal growth by providing timely, relevant CLE courses covering a broad range of pertinent topics.
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