Legal Well-Being News (February 2022)
February is Black History Month. The 2022 theme is Black Health and Wellness. In the legal profession, as recently as last summer, ALM Intelligence's Mental Health and Substance Abuse Survey highlighted that, of the 3,200 law firm lawyers and staff surveyed, roughly 31% of the Black lawyers said they had contemplated suicide during their legal careers. In light of both the theme of Black Health and Wellness, and the recent tragic losses of two incredible, young women of color attorneys, we encourage each of you to learn more about the important intersection between Black history and health and well-being. We encourage you to read the 2022 Black History Month Theme from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and review their website with further books, websites, audiovisual materials, and other historical materials and guides on this topic. Further, you can learn more about Black history and how it has specifically intersected with the legal profession during this month (e.g., through the resources available from the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association). Finally, we emphasize that bias and oppression affect Black people, and specifically Black lawyers, all year long, and the fight for racial equity, inclusion, diversity, belonging, and justice as contributors to well-being must be continued well-beyond February 28.
Upcoming events hosted by the Mass Black Women Attorneys (MBWA) and Mass Black Lawyers Association (MBLA) include:
(MBWA) From Bar to the Bench: Successful Navigating the Judicial Application Process in Massachusetts is on February 9 (info here).
(MBWA) A Black Woman Attorney’s Perspective on DEI Progress is on February 24 (info here), including SJC Standing Committee Member Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig.
(MBLA) Rising Through the Ranks: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is on February 10 (info here), including SJC Standing Committee Member Stephen Hall as one of the panelists.
Standing Committee Announcements
Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Statewide Well-Being Survey. A survey to better understand well-being among attorneys in Massachusetts is underway. If you have not already participated, please consider doing so via this link: https://malawyerwellbeingsurvey.norc.org/s3/2022. Responses are voluntary and confidential.
Law Student Town Halls. In collaboration with our Legal Education Subcommittee, we will continue to conduct town halls to hear experiences from law students in Massachusetts and to then use this important feedback from law students to help guide our efforts in law schools. The next town halls are scheduled on 2/25 and 2/28. These town halls are only open to current and recent law students. More information is available here.
Mentorship Programs. The second annual Statewide Legal Mentorship Program will begin this April! This program pairs mentees with multiple mentors to provide a variety of experiences and perspectives. Any attorney may sign up to be a mentee. Mentors must have at least 10 years of experience in practice. Sign up here. We also provide, on our site, a listing of various legal mentorship programs around the Commonwealth.
Website Resources. We have a number of new resources on our website, including:
Upcoming Standing Committee Programs
February 15, 1-2:15pm. Legal Well-Being Network Meeting. We invite you to join other legal professionals to share best practices, ideas, challenges, and vision to improve the well-being of all legal professionals in Massachusetts. Register and find recordings and resources from past programs, here.
SAVE THE DATES, May 2 - 6, Well-Being Week in Law. Details forthcoming!
Community Programs and Announcements
LawyLawyers Concerned for Lawyers. Upcoming programs: 1) Mindfulness Tools for Legal Professionals: 4-Part Series and 2) Tips to Prevent & Recover from Burnout in the Legal Profession on 2/9 at 12pm. LCL has a number of additional programs and services available, including Weekly Yoga for Busy Legal Professionals, Webinars for Busy Lawyers, Addiction Recovery Peer Support Meetings, SuperMom group, Job Search Group, and more. Sign up for their newsletter, here.
Committee for Public Counsel Services. The Children and Family Law Division (CAFL) is now accepting applications for its Winter 2022 Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) Certification Training to represent children in CRA cases in the Juvenile Court. The Zoom sessions will be held 2:00-5:00 on February 16, February 28 and March 3, 2022. The agency actively seeks to diversify its private attorney panel membership. The application deadline is February 7, 2022. More information is available here.
Legal Diversity Fund Stipends. Anderson & Kreiger LLP seeks to award stipends to aspiring lawyers who demonstrate financial need and who identify as part of a racial or ethnic group that is underrepresented in the legal profession. Applications are due Friday, April 1. More information is available here.
Mindfulness in Law Society. Virtual Mindfulness Sits every Monday and Wednesday at 5pm. Register, here.
Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL). At its inaugural annual conference, IWIL presented trailblazer Rhonda McGee its "Reed Smith Award for Excellence in Well-Being in Law". Rhonda McGee is a mindfulness teacher, author, and professor of law. She is a recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law and social change work. Her most recent book is The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness.
Women's Bar Association. The WBA's Annual Legislative Breakfast is on February 16 via Zoom (info here). The WBA's Annual Meeting is on March 14 (info here).
Mass Black Women Attorneys. From Bar to the Bench: Successful Navigating the Judicial Application Process in Massachusetts is on February 9 (info here).
Mass Black Lawyers Association. Rising Through the Ranks: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is on February 10 (info here), including SJC Standing Committee Member Stephen Hall as one of the panelists.
Affinity Bar Associations. To support the essential work being done to promote the well-being of attorneys and law students from historically excluded populations, we encourage you to attend events hosted or sponsored by your local affinity bar associations. In Massachusetts, these include: Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Hispanic National Bar Association Region I, Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys, Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys, Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, New England Muslim Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston, and Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.
*For Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resources, visit our DEI Resource page, here.
Thank you for continued 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.
