Legal Well-Being News (November 2021)

Welcome to November! November is Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate and acknowledge the important contributions of Native and indigenous people. November is also home to Transgender Awareness Week, November 13-19, and Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 to honor the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. 

We’d also like to take a moment to congratulate Stacey Best as she joins Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Massachusetts as the organization’s next Executive Director! Stacey came to this position after spending 18 years with the Mass. Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) and the Office of Bar Counsel. Most recently Stacey served as the Acting Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the BBO. We are thrilled that Stacey has stepped into this role, and we expect that LCL will thrive and grow in exciting ways under her leadership!

Please see below for announcements and upcoming programs related to well-being in the legal profession in Massachusetts. 

Committee Announcements

• Committee Priorities. The Standing Committee has announced its strategic priorities, here, for 2021-2022, including its ongoing and central priorities to increase awareness of well-being research, resources, training, and support, as well as to reduce stigma around mental health, well-being, and utilization of resources and support.

• County Bar Association Outreach. In collaboration with the Mass Bar Association's Well-Being Committee, we are hoping to speak with each county bar association's executive committee or board to encourage implementation of the Bar Association Well-Being Toolkit, increase awareness of well-being in the profession, and to provide support and resources.

• Financial Education and Student Loan Repayment Resources for Lawyers. Last year, we partnered with AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit committed to helping law students and new lawyers become empowered through financial education. As a result of a pilot education and coaching program offered through this partnership, AccessLex has developed a full-service resource for recent law graduates and new lawyers. You can view resources and upcoming programs, here.

• Mentorship Programs. In December, we will conclude our first year of the Statewide Mentorship Program. Soon, lawyers will be able to sign up for the next program beginning in the new year. Stay tuned! We are also providing, on our site, a listing of various legal mentorship programs around the Commonwealth.

• DEI Recommendations Working Groups. The Standing Committee has organized 4 working groups to develop concrete, structural recommendations to aid legal organizations of various types in supporting the well-being of attorneys from underrepresented and historically excluded populations. The working groups are: Public Agencies & Legal Services Organizations, In-House Legal Departments, Large Firms, and Small/Medium Sized Firms. If you are interested in joining any of these groups, please feel free to email Committee Fellow Gavin Alexander at gavin@lawyerwellbeingma.org.

Upcoming Standing Committee Programs

• November 17, 3-4pm. Changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness: What You Need to Know. This is a free program for public service attorneys about recent changes to PSLF and what you need to know. Register, here.

• December 2, 12-1pm. Save the date for a program focused on health insurance for lawyers and law firms, including private options and how to obtain them, public options and how to qualify, and where to go for help. In collaboration with the Mass Bar Association.

• December 14, 1-2:15pm. Legal Well-Being Network Meeting. An opportunity for legal professionals to come together 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.

Community Programs and Announcements

• Sign up for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers newsletter, here, for information about their free programs and services, including Weekly Yoga for Busy Legal Professionals, Webinars for Busy Lawyers, Addiction Recovery Peer Support Meetings, SuperMom group, Job Search Group, and more.

• November 3 at 4p. Public Service and Student Debt: Real Advice from Real Attorneys. Hosted by the Mass Bar Association, Mass Black Lawyers Association, and South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston. Join via Zoom with Meeting ID: 861 2445 6997 and Passcode: 885059.

• November 4. Adapting to Work in an Uncertain World: Opportunities for Positive Change in the Practice of Law. Hosted by the Mass Bar Association with speakers from Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and the SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being. Register, here.

• November 4. South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston 2021 Virtual Gala. SABAGB will be having its virtual Gala in a combined Zoom/webinar format where we will present awards for 2020 and 2021 and highlight this year’s fellowship recipients. Register, here.

• November 10. Yoga + Community Conversation: Black People's Mental Health & Total Well-Being (Part 2). Hosted by the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association in collaboration with the SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being and others. Register, here.

• November 16. There is More to Inclusion Than a Sense of Belonging: Ensuring Your Law Firm is a Healthy One. Join Loeb Leadership for a free session where their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion panel debrief the results of a research study conducted by the Institute for Well-Being in Law, introduce an exciting new assessment tool that firms can use to holistically evaluate the overall health of their attorneys, including the health of key workplace relationships and feelings of belonging, and offer advice on how to create an environment where your attorneys can thrive. Register, here.

• Mindfulness in Law Society.

  • November 13. First International Mindfulness Retreat. Join MILS for a free retreat including meditation and movement practices led by mindfulness-in-law teachers across North America - including a special talk by Professor Rhonda Magee of the University of San Francisco School of Law, a prominent speaker and lecturer on mindfulness and racial justice, as well as the author of the acclaimed book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice. Register, here.

  • Virtual Mindfulness Sits every Monday and Wednesday at 5pm. Register, here.

• January 19-21, 2022. Save the Date for The Institute for Well-Being in Law's (IWIL) first annual conference, "Redesigning The Legal Profession for a Better Future".

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.