2023 Well-Being Summit
Thursday, November 9 | 12:30 - 1:20 p.m.
Lunch & Learn
104 Green Hall
For students, faculty and staff
Join our panel of national scholars and law faculty who write and work in the area of attorney well-being during an informal lunch and learn. Our speakers will speak to the truths around the current state of law student mental health and address techniques to improve student resilience and help folks successfully navigating law school without mental burnout.
Thursday, November 9 | 5 - 7 p.m.
CLE Program & Networking Reception
Burge Union, Forum A
Open to the public
Featuring a panel of national scholars and law faculty who write and work in the area of attorney well-being, this Well-Being Summit will bring together our community to discuss mental health expectations, opportunities and resources as they relate to young attorneys entering the practice of law.
This event will be followed by a networking reception that includes law firms at the forefront of lawyer well-being, KALAP and the Kansas Task Force for Lawyer Well-Being.
Speakers
Heidi Brown is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, a law professor at Brooklyn Law School and a former litigator in the construction industry. Having grappled with extreme performance anxiety as a law student, attorney and new law professor, Heidi ultimately untangled her fears and embraced authenticity as a powerful asset in teaching and practicing law. She is the author of numerous books about lawyer well-being.
Shailini George teaches legal writing at Suffolk University and her scholarship focuses in the areas of lawyer well-being, mindfulness and the cognitive science of learning. She is the author of The Law Student’s Guide to Doing Well and Being Well, as well as the co-author of Mindful Lawyering: The Key to Creative Problem Solving, and law review articles on distraction and the cognitive science of learning and why law students need mindfulness training.
Jerome Organ believes profoundly in the importance of integrating the skills and values of the profession into the doctrinal classroom and in instilling in students an appreciation of the vocation of being a lawyer. He is the co-director of The Holloran Center at the University of St. Thomas School of Law which seeks to address the most compelling ethical issue facing education in the professions and business: How can higher education most effectively foster the ethical professional formation of each student and practicing professional?
Evening schedule
5 - 6 p.m. | 1-hour CLE
The focus of this CLE is well-being for attorneys and law students, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between the well-being expectations and needs of law students and the resources that law schools and firms offer.
Speakers will address emerging data around law student mental health and substance use with an emphasis on the impact of prescription drug use and undiagnosed trauma in this generation of law students. Speakers will also provide information on resources and best practices for addressing trauma and vicarious trauma in the classroom and workplace.
Presenters will discuss curricular and co-curricular activities that bolster professional identity and promote greater well-being for law students.
Finally, presenters will address the need to redefine "character and fitness" through a well-being and strengths-based lens.
6 - 7 p.m. | Networking Reception
Enjoy refreshments while networking with other attendees, law firms at the forefront of lawyer well-being, KALAP and the Kansas Task Force for Lawyer Well-Being.
Cost
The Lunch & Learn is free and open to students, faculty and staff, but registration is required.
The CLE Program & Networking Reception is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
CLE
The 2023 Well-Being Summit CLE Program has been approved for one hour of ethics and professionalism in Kansas and Missouri. Kansas attorneys will need to fill out and return an affidavit at the conclusion of the event for credit to be received. Missouri attorneys will self-report, but attendance will be taken.
Questions about CLE? Contact Crystal Mai, associate dean for administration, at cmai@ku.edu.
Program accessibility
We accommodate persons with disabilities. Please submit your request no later than October 27 to Rebecca Clayton at rclayton@ku.edu or 785-864-2388, 771 TTY.
Thank you to our sponsors
Jeremy and Bryan Didier
Martha Hodgesmith, L'78
Stevens & Brand, LLC
Stinson LLP
Questions?
Contact Leah Terranova, associate dean of academic and student affairs at leaht@ku.edu.