Well-Being Week in Law

Physical well-being encompasses several components — regular physical activity, maintaining a good diet and nutrition, getting enough sleep, and finding productive ways to handle stress. This is more than just a recipe for a healthy lifestyle. It is the foundation for lawyers to be effectively prepared to serve their clients in the best way possible. A healthy physical state is essential for sustained energy, focus, and mental clarity. Neglecting physical well-being can lead to exhaustion, reduced cognitive function, and difficulty managing the stress of legal work.

So, let's walk the talk — literally. Kick off Well-Being Week in Law by taking a short 30-minute walk on Monday. This activity is meant to encourage movement, refresh the mind, and serve as a starting point for even more activity. Post a photo on social media showing off your most creative, inspiring, or fun moment from the walk. The participant with the most unique photo will win a Missouri Bar "swag bag." The firm or organization with the largest group participation in the well-being walk will receive a special recognition feature at The Missouri Bar Annual Meeting, Sept. 17-19 in Branson.

Also be on the lookout for a series of short videos focused on how Missouri lawyers practice physical well-being. Participating lawyers will discuss how they keep themselves healthy and maximize their ability to perform work for clients. Members of Leadership Academy hope that these lawyers are emulated by their colleagues.

A healthy physical state is essential for sustained energy, focus, and mental clarity. Neglecting physical well-being can lead to exhaustion, reduced cognitive function, and difficulty managing the stress of legal work.

Lawyers who find meaning and purpose in their work are more likely to maintain motivation, avoid burnout, and have a sense of integrity. Building habits that complement your existing values and bring balance into your life not only makes you feel good, but also form the foundation of a well-rounded existence that is more likely to lead to effectively and competently serving clients.

Members of the current Leadership Academy class believe an important aspect of spiritual well-being is having a sense of gratitude. Regularly practicing gratitude can have lasting effects by creating a consistent appreciative outlook on life, which helps improve psychological conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression by turning one’s thoughts toward positive things. The class included “gratitude grams” in the March/April issue of the Journal of The Missouri Bar for lawyers to complete and give to individuals to express their appreciation. Click here to download the gratitude gram and pass along to a colleague, judge, client, or opposing counsel.

Another part of spiritual well-being is self-reflection. Studies have found that self-reflection helps ground our daily work in a deeper sense of purpose. From this deeper sense of purpose will hopefully arise a greater or renewed commitment to effectively represent clients. Today, spend 10 minutes journaling in self-reflection. If you feel inclined, share your response on social media and tag The Missouri Bar (@mobarnews). Here are some journaling prompts lawyers may want to consider:

• What moments in my legal journey am I most grateful for, even if they were challenging at the time?
• Reflect on how certain hardships, mentors, or opportunities helped shape your growth as a legal professional.
• Who in my professional life has contributed to my development or success, and how can I show appreciation for their support?
• Think of colleagues, clients, professors, or even opposing counsel who made an impact. What has made their impact or legacy impactful?
• In what ways has my work in the legal profession allowed me to serve others, and how does that align with my personal values?
• How has the legal profession enriched my understanding of people, society, or justice. What do I appreciate most about that insight?

Job satisfaction, work-life balance, and financial stability are essential for maintaining motivation, preventing burnout, and ensuring a lawyer's ability to effectively serve clients. Lawyers have an ethical obligation to represent their clients with competence, under Rule 4-1.1 (Competence), which requires lawyers to utilize "legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.” A lawyer struggling with job satisfaction, work-life balance, and/or financial stability may experience decreased productivity, errors, and a reduced ability to perform legal tasks that are essential to competent representation.

One source of stress and conflict in many offices is the presence of multiple generations in the workforce. At noon on Wednesday, May 7, the Leadership Academy class, in partnership with the Standing Committee on Well-being in the Profession, will present a no-cost CLE titled, “The Lawyer and the Law: Through the Generations,” featuring a panel discussion involving lawyers from different generations. This CLE includes ethics and elimination of bias credit. Register for the CLE at MoBarCLE.org.

Lawyers, like all humans, tend to be social and need connection with other people. A strong social network provides support, reduces isolation, and fosters a sense of belonging. Lack of social connection can contribute to burnout, difficulty managing stress, and impaired communication skills, all of which are crucial for legal practice. That's why the Thursday of Well-Being Week in Law will focus on what lawyers can do both during and outside of work to bring about rejuvenation and a heightened capacity to effectively serve clients.

Read Q&As with five Missouri lawyers who have hobbies and/or interests outside their practice and how those interests have made positive impacts on their work in the legal profession. The Leadership Academy class hopes readers will see the connection between outside interests, renewal, and effective representation of clients.

In addition, read an article on MOLAP’s peer volunteer program, designed to encourage engagement with this program and to improve the effectiveness of serving clients.

Effective legal representation starts with a lawyer’s ability to think clearly, communicate effectively, and make sound decisions. Emotional well-being is vital for managing stress, maintaining a positive attitude, and making sound judgments under pressure. Emotional instability can impair decision-making, lead to errors, and affect the ability to build rapport with clients.

Take 15-minute emotional well-being breaks at your desk, in between court hearings, or in your offices. To help make the most of these breaks, Leadership Academy has designed an Emotional Well-Being Toolkit that lawyers can download and respond to the prompts.

Motions for Mindfulness is a special podcast series produced by The Missouri Bar as part of Leadership Academy’s efforts to raise awareness and inspire lawyers to reflect and take action during Well-Being Week in Law May 5-9, 2025. Well-Being Week in Law is a national initiative from the Institute for Well-Being in Law that helps lawyers implement well-being initiatives in their practices so they can even better serve their clients and find lasting fulfillment in their legal careers.

Tune in every Tuesday in April wherever you listen to podcasts for a new episode.

Episode 1 - Career & intellectual well-being as lawyers

In this episode of Motions for Mindfulness, host Bethany Allen chats with lawyers Sean Connelly, Brittany Chapman & Darrell Smith about mentors who inspire them, stressors they face in their practices & elements that help them balance their well-being with serving their clients.

Episode 2 - Practicing spiritual well-being as lawyers

In this episode of Motions for Mindfulness, host Bethany Allen chats with lawyers Mariajose “MJ” Ortiz and Kelly “Koki” Sabatés about how they thrive as lawyers, ways they find gratitude in their careers, and tips for balancing spiritual well-being with the demands of the legal profession.

Episode 3 - Physical well-being as lawyers

In this episode of Motions for Mindfulness, host Bethany Allen chats with lawyers Courtney Klaus and Craig Lowe about ways they maintain their physical well-being while serving their clients. From the importance of sleep and nutrition to the benefits of physical movement, they provide practical tips lawyers can implement in their day-to-day practices.

Episode 4 - Regulating emotional well-being as lawyers

In this episode of Motions for Mindfulness, host Bethany Allen chats with lawyers John McKenzie and Holly Weiss about ways lawyers can regulate their emotional well-being while handling the heavy and stressful mental loads associated with working in the legal profession. From toxic work environments to the value of mental breaks and support systems, they provide insight and practical tips lawyers can implement in their day-to-day practices.

Episode 5 - Work/life balance and social well-being as lawyers

In the final episode of Motions for Mindfulness, host Bethany Allen chats with lawyers Monica Spier and Jeremy Peissig about work-life balance, the value of mentorship and hobbies, and other social well-being topics. Spier and Peissig provide insight and tips lawyers can implement in their day-to-day practices to help improve their personal and professional connections so they can continue effectively serving clients.