A Good Lawyer is a Healthy Lawyer
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this week (May 5-9) is Well-Being in Law Week. Hosted by the Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL), Well-Being in Law Week aims to raise awareness, provide tools, and resources to establish well-being as a defining feature of professional success in the legal profession.
Over the last several years, more and more attention has been rightfully placed on the well-being of those who make up the legal profession– students, legal professionals, lawyers, and judges. For example, the Institute for Well-Being in Law was formed in December 2020 when leaders of three national organizations came together at the 2016 American Bar Association’s (ABA) Annual Meeting, determined to create change in the profession.
The creation of IWIL is just one of many changes that are continuing to shine a light on the well-being of legal professionals. Another example is the inclusion of well-being in the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, specifically, Chapter 3. In 2022-2023, the ABA updated Interpretation 303-5 to read:
“Interpretation 303-5 Professional identity focuses on what it means to be a lawyer and the special obligations lawyers have to their clients and society. The development of professional identity should involve an intentional exploration of the values, guiding principles, and well-being practices considered foundational to successful legal practice. Because developing a professional identity requires reflection and growth over time, students should have frequent opportunities for such development during each year of law school and in a variety of courses and co-curricular and professional development activities.” (emphasis added).
The impetus behind many of these changes focused on attorneys stemmed from the conclusions presented in the groundbreaking 2017 report “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.” Similarly, changes related to law student well-being emerged from the 2014 and 2021 Surveys of Law Student Well-Being. (Learn More.)
Another example is the expansion of continuing legal education (CLE) credits to include mental health. In 2019, Illinois attorneys saw a change to the breakdown of their professional responsibility hours with the inclusion of at least one of six hours being related to mental health and addiction issues. (Learn more.) Starting July 1, 2024, Minnesota attorneys must complete at least one CLE hour in the area of mental health and substance abuse. (Learn more.) Jurisdictions continue to place emphasis on wellness in their continuing legal education requirements, with new state bars adding requirements each year. Many lawyers’ assistance programs also now offer specialized CLE’s in these areas for free.
2025 Well-Being In Law Week
The focus of this year’s Week is “The Social Rx – Boosting Well-Being with Connection.” Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, the world has been alerted to the lack of meaningful connections, which, some say, is sparking chronic loneliness. Loneliness impacts many facets of a person’s life, including workplace performance.
A sense of loneliness happens to pre-law and law students, too. There is a theory called “The Self-Determination Theory” that addresses relatedness as one of three key factors in feeling self-determined and fulfilled. Relatedness involves a sense of connection and belonging, which can include feeling respected, cared for, and/or included in one’s environment. Without this sense of connection, a student’s overall sense of well-being can decline.
To aid in easing loneliness through connection, IWIL created Well-Being Social Prescriptions so participants can explore new ways to connect. They are:
Monday: Stay Strong! Focus on your physical well-being by eating well, getting enough sleep, and recovering from stress.
Tuesday: Align! Focus on your spiritual well-being by fostering a sense of meaning and purpose in all aspects of your life.
Wednesday: Engage and Grow! Focus on your occupational and intellectual well-being by continuously learning and developing. You may want to focus on personal satisfaction, growth at work or financial stability.
Thursday: Connect! Focus on your social well-being by building connection, sense of belonging and a reliable support network.
Friday: Feel Well! Focus on emotional well-being by understanding, identifying, and using emotions well. Seek help when needed.
Whether you choose to follow along daily or take on 2-3 at a time, below is a great image to help get you started!
Meaningful connections, whether at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional spaces, help:
- Influence our health-related behaviors (e.g., supporting healthy choices and helping hold us accountable)
- Give social support—supporting us emotionally with care and empathy, and through guidance, help, and feedback
- Bolster self-esteem and confidence to face challenges and bounce back from setbacks
- Create a sense of responsibility to ourselves and others
- Aid emotion regulation
- Positively impact physiological indicators of health (e.g., immune, endocrine, and cardiovascular functioning)
These are skills that anyone venturing into the profession of law can benefit from. We encourage you to explore the resources available through our office, the University of Illinois, or through organizations like the ABA, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, and IWIL to take control of your health and well-being because “to be a good lawyer, one has to be a healthy lawyer,” and it starts now.
“The Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL) is dedicated to the betterment of the legal profession by focusing on a holistic approach to well-being. Through advocacy, research, education, technical and resource support, and stakeholders’ partnerships, we are driven to lead a culture shift in law to establish health and well-being as core centerpieces of professional success.“
