Agenda

Registration and Light Breakfast - 8:45am (East Wing 120)

Welcome From the Dean - 9:05am (East Wing 120)
Odette Lienau (Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean & Professor of Law)

Introductory Remarks - 9:20am (East Wing 120)
Supreme Judicial Court Justice David Lowy (ret.)

Framing Talk: The Well-Being Movement in Law - 9:35am (East Wing 120)
Heidi Alexander (Director of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being)
Where We’ve Been. What’s Changing. What’s Possible.

Refreshment and Networking Break - 10:20am (Yellow Room)

Speed Conversations - 10:35am-12:05pm (Yellow Room)
What Do Students Want From Us?
Leaders: Joy Hall and Dave Sainte-Luce (Boston College Law School)
Current Boston College Law School students will lead a discussion on the academic and wellness supports that have best supported them in law school, what types of law school supports work well, and what additional supports law students would like to see.

Mounting Pressures Due to Early Recruiting
Leader: Sarah Bookbinder (Boston College Law School)
Many large law firms have started interviewing 1L students during the fall semester of their first year, within a few weeks of being on campus. They expect students to know what they want to do with their futures, often before students have fully settled into their academic classes or built trusted friendships for support. The combination of this accelerated timeline, the competition for limited spots, and the perceived link for many students between landing a law firm offer early and long-term career satisfaction has amped up an already stressful, high-pressure environment in 1L year. This new model also presents challenges for everyone who supports 1L students transition to law school.

Financial Stress, Loans, and Access to Legal Education
Leader: Shawn McShay (Boston College Law School)
Beyond the Ledger: Addressing the mental and emotional toll of student debt. Join us for a conversation on how financial barriers shape the law school experience and what we can do to make legal education more equitable and accessible.

The Political Landscape of DEI and Impact on Legal Education
Leaders: Lisa Brathwaite (Boston College Law School) and Natasha Varyani (Roger Williams University School of Law)
The political debate over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has become polarized, influencing legislation, funding, and university and law school policies. This shift has put pressure on law schools to reassess some of their curricular and co-curricular operations. As a result, legal education is seeing shifts in on-campus speech , access-to-justice, and classroom norms. How are law schools responding to changes that are reshaping pedagogy, professional readiness, and the diversity of the legal pipeline?

Student Crisis: Accommodations and Professional Readiness
Leaders: Emily Libby (Boston College Law School) and Julie Cahill (University of Massachusetts School of Law)
How do we bridge the gap between compassionate academic accommodations and the unforgiving demands of legal practice? Join us to talk through strategies for managing students in crisis while ensuring they develop the resilience and readiness necessary for professional success.

Are We Losing the Human Side of Legal Education?
Leaders: Heidi Alexander (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being) and Brian Gallini (Quinnipiac University School of Law)
Join a discussion about presence, attention, and rebuilding community in a world of AI tools, constant notifications, and digital overload

Working Lunch and Closing Reflections - 12:05pm (Yellow Room)
Table Report-outs and Key Takeaways

Adjourn - 1:00pm