Wellness, Mental Health, and the Law

Part One: Best Practices for Attorney Wellness (Segment One)

The first half of this episode is a panel discussion about best practices for attorney wellness featuring Amy Bice Larson, Managing Partner of BSP Law Houston, Elizabeth Stevens, HR Director of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, and Josie Morgan, COO of BoyarMiller.  These guests share the most successful attorney wellness initiatives in their offices or firms.  This panel discussion will be very interesting for attorneys who work in firm management or HR, or any attorney who is interested in what local legal employers are doing to make sure that the attorneys in their office stay well. They also take a deeper dive into wellness and address how attorneys need to look out for one another and specifically point out that the State Bar has programs that are of benefit to attorneys who are struggling with mental health issues.

Wellness Break: Slowing Down for Healing and Health: How Lawyers can Benefit from Restorative/Trauma-Informed Yoga (Segment Two)

The Wellness Break features Jessica Crutcher, who is a partner at Mayer Brown and also a yoga instructor. She shares how inclusive, trauma informed yoga and meditation classes can improve wellness in attorneys. 

Part Two: The Intersection of Law and Mental Health

This part of the episode focuses on the types of mental health issues that impact cases in different practice areas and how the lawyers deal manage these issues. It includes a lot of practical tips that will be particularly beneficial to younger lawyers.

The Intersection of Employment Law and Mental Health (Segment 3)

The third segment of this episode features Ashlee Grant, who is a partner at BakerHostetler and is and is board-certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Ashlee discusses the intersection of employment law and mental health and provides practical advice for employment lawyers who are faced with mental health issues in their cases.

The Intersection of Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Mental Health (Segment 4)

The fourth segment of this episode features John B. Henry, III, of the Law Office of John B. Henry, III, PLLC, who is interviewed by Behind the Lines interviewer Anietie Akpan.  John is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in estate planning and probate law and is a certified elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.  John addresses how mental health and wellbeing issues impact his practice, including mental incapacity issues in his cases and how he manages mental wellbeing issues that his clients are dealing with.

The intersection of Family and Immigration Law and Mental Health (Segment 5)

The final segment of this episode features Jody-Ann Greenwood, who is the founder and managing attorney of Greenwood Legal Advocacy Group, PLLC where she has been practicing family and immigration law since 2016.  Behind the Lines interviewer Anietie Akpan interviews Jody-Ann about the types of mental health issues she encounters in both her family law and immigration law practices and how she effectively handles these issues. 

Listeners who are HBA members can receive up to 1.75 hours of TX CLE credit for listening to this episode. Details available at hba.org.

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*The views expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board or the Houston Bar Association.