Committee and Community Updates
On behalf of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being, we thank you for interest in, efforts in support of, and commitment to lawyer well-being in Massachusetts. Your individual and collective work is essential to make the practice of law more inclusive, sustainable and rewarding.
We hope to be in touch on a regular basis to provide updates from our Committee and other community organizations regarding well-being and diversity-focused initiatives, and to identify areas for collaboration.
If you have not done so already, we invite you to review our 2019 Steering Committee Report.
Our Updates
New Committee Fellow. We will welcome the first-ever full-time fellow, Gavin Alexander, to our Committee starting November 1, 2020. Among many projects, Gavin will be working on a strategic plan laying out concrete issues to investigate and steps to be taken to support the well-being and retention in the profession of diverse lawyers, law students and other legal professionals. If you are interested in connecting with Gavin about these efforts, feel free to reach out to him at gavin@lawyerwellbeingma.org.
Loan Assistance Pilot. We are currently testing out a loan assistance pilot program aimed at helping to alleviate stress around repayment. Sign-ups are on a rolling basis, here.
Legal Well-Being Network. We launched a Legal Well-Being Network for interested lawyers and legal professionals to meet on a regular basis to share best practices, ideas, challenges, and vision to improve the well-being of all attorneys in Massachusetts. Learn more and sign up for the next meeting on December 15, here.
Mentorship Pilot Programs. We launched a series of pilot mentorship programs throughout the Commonwealth and will make recommendations regarding adoption and support of statewide mentorship programs, and strategies to support and extend existing mentorship programs.
Affinity Bar Town Halls. We conducted a series of (virtual) town halls with various Massachusetts affinity bar associations that represent diverse lawyers to learn more about particular challenges facing each of their communities, and so that we are better equipped to ensure that the individual and collective well-being challenges faced by diverse populations are reflected in the Committee’s ongoing work to improve the lives of lawyers and legal professionals throughout the Commonwealth. We will recommend next steps and actions based on our findings, and we will ensure that these same groups have the opportunity to provide further input before any proposals are finalized.
Proposed Changes to SJC Rule 4:02. We proposed changes to SJC Rule 4:02 to incorporate a demographic and law practice survey into the annual bar registration process to better understand the makeup of our bar, particularly the extent of isolation and alienation due to race and other identity markers, and to create programs to better address the needs related to equitable participation in the legal community. Review additional information and proposed changes, here.
Community News and Programs
Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) and the Massachusetts Law Office Management Assistance Program(LOMAP). LCL and its Law Office Management Assistance Program provide free and confidential services to individuals and organizations in the legal profession in Massachusetts in the areas of stress and resilience, mental health, addiction recovery, and career and practice management. LCL recently added a new clinician to serve Western Massachusetts. LCL seeks volunteers for a new peer volunteer training program to recognize and help distressed colleagues. For more information, email Anna Levine, Executive Director.
Upcoming programs include:
10/19 BBA Webinar: Amplifying Unheard Voices Series: The Black Female Perspective
10/20 MBA and LCL/LOMAP: The Resilient Lawyer - Part 1
10/21 Worcester County Bar: Worcester Housing Court Update
10/28 Worcester County Bar: Worcester County Probate and Family Court Update
10/28 BBA Webinar: I Survived and So Can You! 2008-2012 Law School Graduate Panel
10/28 Community Legal Aid: Panel Discussion on Racial Justice and Health Inequities
11/2 LCL/LOMAP: Learning the Tools of Mindfulness: 4-Part Series for Lawyers and Law Students
Thank you all for your continued efforts to improve lawyer well-being. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time. We welcome your ideas, suggestions, and feedback!
