Biglaw Firm To Offer Counseling Services At The Office
The firm should be applauded for this service.
In a great move for Biglaw, Akin Gump is offering employees access to a behavioral assistance counselor at the office. The pilot program offers on-site counseling one day a week and is currently only available in the firm’s D.C. headquarters, but there are plans to roll it out to all 20 of Akin’s offices.
The firm began the program last month, and it’s already a success. The counselor is already booked through June. As reported by Law.com, Akin Gump chief operating officer Sally King is pleased with how quickly everyone at the firm have taken to the new resource:
“I think it was a called-for resource and we responded to the call, and we’ve been very pleased with the uptake of it,” King said.
The firm has a personal motivation for the program since an associate died by suicide in 2013, but the larger mental health issues in the industry also compelled them to act:
“We recognize that it’s an issue not just for our firm but for the industry, and [we want to] be as transparent about this as we are about everything else,” King said.
Given how notoriously busy lawyers are, this is a perfect opportunity to let employees prioritize their own mental health and let the entire firm know it’s prioritized by the powers that be, too.
This isn’t the first firm that has taken a bold move in support of their employees’ mental health; hopefully more Biglaw firms get on-board with this important service.
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Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).
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