Official Government Website
In 2017 The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change was published by the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. The report has become the catalyst for efforts to improve the well-being of lawyers nationwide and here in Idaho.
What Is Attorney Well-Being?
The meaning of “well-being” is:
Maintaining well-being is part of lawyers’ ethical duty of competence. It calls for healthy, positive choices to assure that lawyers can be their best for their clients, families, organizations, and communities. Further, to be their best, lawyers depend on a large number of important contributors who are not lawyers. Therefore, well-being across the legal profession is an important goal.
The Task Force’s definition of well-being is not defined solely as an absence of dysfunction; nor is it limited to feeling “happy.” Full well-being is multi-dimensional and requires things like connection, belonging, continual growth, and aligning our lives with our values. It requires that we take care of all aspects of our lives.[1]
- CLEs Available
- ISB Fall 2020 Survey Results
- Resources
- ISB Attorney Well-Being Task Force Report
- Well-Being in Law Week Daily Activities
- Upcoming Events
Say “NO” to BURNOUT – Find Professional Fulfillment without Sacrificing, Ethical Obligations, Relationships, Mental Health, and Job Performance – $60.00 – Available On-Demand
Increasing Your Professional Power to New Levels of Excellence – $60.00 – Available On-Demand
Trauma Informed Lawyering – FREE CLE – Now Available On-Demand
The Ethical Part of Managing Your Stress – $45.00 – On-Demand
Attorney Well-Being: ISB Survey Results, Resources, and Next Steps – FREE CLE – Available On-Demand
Suicide Prevention In A Pandemic: Risk Factors, Warning Signs and Ways to Help – FREE CLE – Available On-Demand
Lawyer Well-Being: What’s It Got to Do with Me? – $50.00 – On-Demand
Well-Being and Trauma Responsive Workplaces – FREE CLE – Available On-Demand
Idaho Survey on Attorney Well-Being
One of the first tasks of the Attorney Well-Being Task Force was to establish a baseline assessment through out the state. The best way to accomplish this was to conduct a survey.
The survey questions were drafted by members of the Task Force using resources available from surveys conducted in other states and they also sought counsel and review of the survey by experts in the field, including the co-chair of the National Task Force. The Idaho survey consisted of three types of questions:
(1) well-being status questions;
(2) questions about knowledge of and access to well-being resources; and
(3) demographic questions.
The survey was distributed in October 2020 via email with encouragement from the Board and members of the judiciary to complete it.
The typical time spent by those taking the survey was 6 minutes and 5 seconds.
The results of the survey were tabulated and will be used by the Task Force in the development of resources that will be made available to ISB members. The Task Force anticipates these resources may include a website, educational course offerings, and social functions. Below is a link to view the survey results.
Idaho Well-Being Survey Results
Educational Courses, Toolkits and Websites
ISB Program – Attorney Well-Being: ISB Survey Results, Resources, and Next Steps – FREE CLE – 1.0 CLE credits of which 0.25 it Ethics
ISB Program – Lawyer Well-Being: What’s It Got to Do with Me? – 1.5 CLE credits
ISB Program – Well-Being and Trauma Responsive Workplaces – FREE CLE – 1.0 Ethics credits
ABA Program – The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change (Oct. 16, 2017)
Mindful Mondays and Wakeful Wednesdays – Weekly 30-minute “virtual sit” sessions hosted by the Mindfulness in Law Society.
Well-Being in Law Week Resources – Information for individuals and organizations
CLEs
Suicide Prevention In A Pandemic: Risk Factors, Warning Signs and Ways to Help – Sponsored by the Idaho State Bar Attorney Well-Being Task Force, Lawyers’ Assistance Program, the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers with funding provided by the Idaho State Liquor Division Mini-Grant Program, May 6, 2021 – 1.0 CLE credits
Articles, Blogs and Reports
What Law Students Absolutely Need To Know To Ace Law School
Is Your Smartphone Making You Less Smart? Distraction Addiction Is Real
To Boost Productivity, Lawyers and Law Students Should ‘Socially Distance’ From Their Phones
Suffolk Law professor writes book tackling … um, one sec … oh distractions
Time Magazine articles on Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental Health Resources for the Legal Profession During COVID-19
The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change
The Wellness Issue – Journal of the Delaware State Bar Association
What Lawyers Can Learn from Simone Biles
Podcasts
Mindful Lawyering with Shailini George
What Students Absolutely Need to Do to Ace Law School with Shailini George – Episode 67
Path to Well-Being in Law Podcast
The Resilient Lawyer
Attorney Mental Health and Wellness
Loving Life as a Lawyer: How to Maintain Joy in Your Work
The Gen Why Lawyer Podcast on Mental Health
Voices of Recovery Series
The Psychology Podcast: How to Be a Happy Lawyer
ABA Asked and Answered: How Lawyers Can Bring Mindfulness Into Their Practice
**The above programming is intended for educational purposes only and may not meet the mandatory continuing legal education requirements in Idaho. You will not receive CLE credit for viewing/listening unless it has been approved. You can check to see the approved CLE courses here.
The Attorney Well-Being Task Force (AWBTF) was formed in February 2020 by the Board of Commissioners of the Idaho State Bar to improve the well-being of the legal profession in Idaho. The Task Force brings various representatives from sections, committees, and practice groups together to investigate obstacles to well-being in the profession and identify resources to help attorneys, judges, law students, and related staff members not only survive but thrive in their professional and personal lives.
Please feel free to reach out to members of the Task Force if you have ideas for programs or resources that would be helpful to others or if you have questions. Teresa Baker, the ISB staff liaison is also available at (208) 334-4500.
Well-Being Task Force Report – December 2022
Task Force Members
| Chairperson Julie Stomper Idaho Falls | Camille Christen Boise | Yvonne Dunbar Boise |
| Andrea Hunter Post Falls | Larry Hunter Boise | Caralee Lambert Boise |
| Joe Pirtle Boise | Jamal Lyksett Moscow | Jamie Shropshire Boise |
| Hon. Darren Simpson Blackfoot | Doug Werth Boise | Andrea Patterson Boise |
The Idaho State Bar Attorney Well-Being Task Force invites you to celebrate Lawyer Well-Being Week, May 1st through May 5th, 2023. Join other members of the profession, the courts and support staff by participating in these free remote-friendly activities.
We will focus on a different aspect of well-being Monday through Friday. Every day you will have at least three different suggestions for activities and education. This “well- rounded” wheel shows the well-being emphasis for each day of the week. There is something for everyone!
Well-Being Wheel
WATCH THIS 2023 WELL-BEING WEEK SESSION: Moving Together: The Science and Experience of Communal Movement
WATCH THIS: Carter, Christine (2020) Confessions of Bad Exerciser, TedX. Marin Christine Carter PhD is a writer, speaker, coach and sociologist, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. In this talk, filmed for TedX Marin, she argues that in order to build a new habit, like exercising, we need to release our perfectionistic desires and let ourselves be bad at it (at least for a while).
READ THIS: Kilkus, Jennifer (2022) Is the Mind-Body Connection Real?
DO THIS: Pick one activity from the “More Movement While Working” section of the Well-Being Week in Law Physical Health Activity Guide and implement that strategy today – maybe it’s a walking meeting, or setting a timer to remind yourself to stand and move during the work day. Pick something small, give yourself permission to do what you can (no perfectionism allowed!), and acknowledge your victories when you follow through.
Exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind. – Nelson Mandela
WATCH THIS 2023 WELL-BEING WEEK SESSION: What does the U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-being in the Workplace Mean for You?
WATCH THIS: OnBeing with Krista Tippett and Dacher Keltner: “The Thrilling New Science of Awe” (2023) Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding director of the Greater Good Science Center. In this podcast, he talks with Krista Tippett about research on primary experience of awe in human life. We experience awe in moments when we have a sense of wonder, or mystery, that transcends our understanding.
READ THIS: Cross, Rob (2020) Do You Have a Life Outside of Work?
DO THIS: Complete the “Connections that Create Purpose” assessment in the Rob Cross article linked above, and identify one new purpose giving activity to explore bringing back in your life. Then talk to someone about this idea today – your spouse, a colleague, or a friend.
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. – Pablo Picasso
WATCH THIS 2023 WELL-BEING WEEK SESSION: Pro Bono & Community Service as a Pathway to Well-being & Job Satisfaction
WATCH THIS: Harris, Carla (2018) How To Find The Person Who Can Help You Get Ahead At Work, TEDWomen Carla Harris is a business executive and author. In this talk, she explains why finding a sponsor is so important to propelling your career and provides tips for how to identify and approach a potential sponsor.
READ THIS: Hope Reese (2022), A Neurologist’s Tips To Protect Your Memory
“Passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and
then a lifetime of deepening.” – Angela Duckworth, psychologist and author of Grit
WATCH THIS 2023 WELL-BEING WEEK SESSION: Building Friendship & Belonging
WATCH THIS: Julian Treasure (2011). 5 Ways to Listen Better. TEDx GLobal, 7 mins. In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, “We are losing our listening.” In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening — to other people and the world around you.
READ THIS: Check out The Surgeon General’s Report on Workplace Well-being Guidelines. In the U. S. Surgeon General’s new Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being Guidelines, aspects of relationship quality are imbued in all “Five Essentials,” defined as (1) Connection & Community, (2) WorkLife Harmony, (3) Mattering at Work, (4) Opportunity for Growth, and (5) Protection from Physical and Psychological Harm.
DO THIS: Download this infographic on the Art of Listening and practice some of the listening strategies discussed in “5 Ways to Listen Better” above.
“That which isn’t good for the hive, isn’t good for the bee.” – Marcus Aurelius
WATCH THIS 2023 WELL-BEING WEEK SESSION: How to Build a Workplace that Supports Emotional Well-Being
WATCH THIS: Adia Gooden (2018). Cultivating Unconditional Self-Worth, TEDx, 15:20 mins Gooden discusses the power of cultivating unconditional self-worth and how to break free from negative thought patterns so you can live more freely.
READ THIS: Elizabeth Ayoola (2022). Mental Health New Year’s Resolutions You Need On Your List For 2023, (Because who says mid-year isn’t the perfect time to assess and recalibrate?)
“Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and
we obey them without realizing it.” -Vincent van Gogh
Practice Gratitude
Easily send notes of gratitude, encouragement, and affection using IWIL’s e-card form.
There are not any events currently planned, but please check out the activities for Well-Being in Law Week that can be done year-round.
Mark your calendar for May 1st through 5th, 2023 when we will be celebrating the next Well-Being in Law Week.
[1] Institute For Well-Being In Law, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change(August 15, 2017), https://lawyerwellbeing.net/the-report/