Biglaw Firm Takes Big Steps To Focus On Attorney Mental Health And Wellness
The firm wants to help attorneys and staff create 'lives of meaning and fulfillment.'
Attorneys in Biglaw continue to struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues, but one firm has moved to compassionately address these issues through meaningful programming focused on employee wellness.
Morgan Lewis is the latest firm to turn its attention to its employees’ well-being. As one of the first firms to commit to the American Bar Association’s attorney wellness pledge, today Morgan Lewis launched ML Well, a program designed to support the “intellectual, physical, emotional, and occupational health” of all of its employees through educational programming that will help them create “lives of meaning and fulfillment.” Patrick Krill, an expert on addiction and mental health, will also assist with the firm’s educational endeavors.
On top of this fantastic new initiative, Morgan Lewis has hired Krista Logelin, its first executive focused entirely on employee wellness issues. Logelin holds a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Amanda Smith, the firm’s chief engagement officer, explained why Morgan Lewis hired someone to oversee the ML Well program: “We knew, especially given the size of the firm and the scope of the things we wanted to try to tackle, that we needed to make sure that it was properly supported within the firm, that it wasn’t one-quarter of somebody’s job. It’s going to help us sustain a well-being program out past launch or past a month or past a year.”
Morgan Lewis chair Jami McKeon had this to say about the firm’s focus on wellness:
The legal profession is as challenging as it is rewarding, and we must come together to create a supportive community. Well-being is a central focus of our culture at Morgan Lewis, and we are devoted to ensuring an environment that fosters our values. ML Well provides a vehicle to do even more in this arena.
Congratulations to Morgan Lewis on its commitment to supporting and improving the well-being of its attorneys and staff members. We hope that more Biglaw firms are willing to make the same pledge.
Morgan Lewis Takes on Lawyer Mental Health With New Program, Executive [American Lawyer]
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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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