FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2023
Contact: Thomas Nobile
Director of Communications
Tel: 732-937-7527
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NEW BRUNSWICK – Well-Being in the Law Week will return from May 1–5 with a series of webinars including a New Jersey State Bar Association webcast on the relationship between attorney wellness and ethics.
The NJSBA program, scheduled for May 5 at 10 a.m., will look at how good mental health practice complements an attorney’s ethical obligations. The program, “Improving Well-Being in the Workplace and Complying with Ethics Obligations,” will include tips on de-escalation and ways to promote collegiality and community in the profession. The speakers include Kim Ringler, an expert in attorney ethics, and Paula Shagin, of Green Button Counseling.
“Collaborating with an experienced mental health clinician on self-care and practical steps to improve well-being is a great way to promote competence and to extend lawyers' professional shelf life. To practice law ethically means taking self-care seriously. This program melds ethics standards with key components of self-care. The information and insights are sorely needed,” Ringler said.
The seminar is one of many wellness lessons offered during Well-Being in the Law Week, which aims to help legal practitioners get the practice guidance and insight they need to stay away from unhealthy lifestyles and create professional norms and cultures that encourage well-being.
Registration is open at njsba.com.
The New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program will host free virtual programs throughout the week. Each day features a session on a different aspect of well-being—physical, spiritual, emotional—with advice on everything from balanced nutrition to seeking help with mental health.
As part of that weeklong series of webinars, NJSBA President Jeralyn L. Lawrence will lead a discussion on May 3 about the state of attorney wellness in New Jersey and the work of the Putting Lawyers Task Force, which recently released a report and recommendations about ways to make life easier in the legal profession and the tools needed to thrive in the ever-changing legal landscape.
NJLAP’s schedule for the week:
• Monday: Optimizing Physical Well-being to Maximize Professional Outcomes
• Tuesday: What Does Spirituality Have to Do With It?—A panel of attorneys will discuss how they derive meaning from their work, nourish their spirits, foster ¬personal growth, align their work with their values, and how their spiritual practices promote their well-being.
• Wednesday: How We Put Lawyers First—Lawrence will lead a frank discussion on the state of well-being among legal professionals in New Jersey and provide a hopeful look at efforts and collaborations underway to improve these conditions.
• Thursday: Put Away Your Legal Pad—A seminar on the drawbacks of thinking and talking like a lawyer in personal relationships.
• Friday: Self-Care for Lawyers—A candid discussion about developing practical self-care tools that can help lawyers cope under challenging personal and professional circumstances.
Visit njlap.org to get the full schedule and register for the programs.
In addition to the NJSBA and NJLAP programming, the state Judiciary will also offer a program during the week. The event will be held on May 2 to raise awareness of the heightened risks of mental health issues, substance use disorders and suicides among law professionals. The event is free and open to the public at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton and through a virtual broadcast.
Visit njcourts.gov to learn more.
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Well-being week returns for five days of webinars supporting attorney wellness
Contact: NJSBA Communications Department
Tel: 732-937-7527
Email: [email protected]