Use Bite-Sized Portions to Embed Well-Being in Law Firm Culture

While awareness of mental health has risen across the legal profession, law firm leaders face challenges when trying to implement a well-being program. With so much to get done during each day, well-being can start to feel like another item on a long to-do list.

At Stinson, we decided to use practice group meetings—where attorneys meet regularly to discuss case strategy, business development, and other topics—to launch “Well-Being Bites,” a curriculum series that teaches a concept or strategy from the science of positive psychology in just five to seven minutes.

Embedding well-being education into practice group meetings achieves a few different objectives. First, it provides evidence-based information on a regular basis and creates space for attorneys to discuss well-being concepts with colleagues they know and respect.

Second, it positions well-being as a strategic imperative by including it on a meeting agenda along with other topics related to practice success. Doing so acknowledges that well-being contributes to peak performance and the ability to deliver exceptional legal services.

Finally, it offers a consistent reminder of the firm’s commitment to these issues. Every Well-Being Bite is an opportunity to remind attorneys of the supportive resources and benefits at their fingertips.

In addition to driving engagement and preventing burnout, our well-being program helps us stay competitive in the legal talent market. According to a Major Lindsey & Africa survey last year, 60% of associates think their firms aren’t trying to retain them.

And while law student mental health is improving gradually per Bloomberg Law’s latest 2023 Law School Preparedness Survey, the responses indicate there will be a continued need for well-being support as these students enter the legal profession.

Here’s what we’ve learned about reaching everyone from summer associates to partners with an embedded well-being curriculum.

Get to the Point

You can skip the “why,” or at least move through it quickly. Attorneys generally understand and appreciate the reasons for a focus on well-being and lawyer mental health. They’ve heard the statistics, and many have experienced personal impact—either directly or indirectly—by burnout or other mental health challenges at some point in their career.

Lawyers also tend to operate with much more urgency than your average person. They want to know what they can do and how they can fit it into their busy schedules. So skip right to the action steps.

Keep it Practical

The strategies you promote need to be realistic. Training to run marathons or meditating for an hour every day are great strategies for individual well-being, but they won’t work for most people.

The thought of setting aside a big chunk of time each day to build new habits will make most attorneys (understandably) throw up their hands and move on. Attorneys tend to operate with an all-or-nothing mentality, causing them to lose out on the incremental benefits that accumulate over time.

Strategies that are in and of themselves well-being bites—simple and easily implemented—usually work best here. For example, an attorney who is struggling to get more physical movement may not have time to hit the gym each day, but they could start walking to pick up their lunch rather than drive. Instead of trying to meditate for an hour, they could incorporate breathing exercises at their desk into their routine.

Speak Their Language

Small changes to diction and phraseology can help well-being concepts feel familiar and palatable to skeptical attorneys. For example, mindful breathing is an evidenced-based practice that can lower blood pressure, increase focus, and improve mood. But it’s a term that doesn’t resonate with a lot of attorneys, so instead, we offer a Well-Being Bite module on power breathing.

Likewise, instead of resilience, we talk about performing under pressure. We focus on strategies for navigating high-intensity situations that arise in legal practice, such as communicating with opposing counsel.

Encourage Peer Learning

These concepts are best received when delivered by someone who “gets it.” When an attorney hears these messages from a colleague who understands the unique pressures and challenges of legal practice, the credibility factor skyrockets.

Invite your audience to offer their own color commentary. Look to them as the experts.

Outlook

Embedding well-being into already-occurring meetings exposes attorneys to actionable strategies to improve mental and physical health. This isn’t to say that well-being is a simple journey. Someone with a more serious well-being condition, such as major depressive disorder or substance use disorder, will require more significant support strategies.

However, even the gentle and timely reminder that resources are available may encourage them to seek help. Usage of Stinson’s employee assistance program has increased nearly threefold since we launched the Well-Being Bites series. An embedded well-being curriculum keeps the importance of these issues top of mind.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., the publisher of Bloomberg Law and Bloomberg Tax, or its owners.

Author Information

Krista Larson is director of well-being at Stinson.

Write for Us: Author Guidelines