Legal Talent Talk Network

While the conversations are being had, is action being taken? Brian Cuban gets real with Mark Yacano as they discuss where the mental health conversation is getting lost in mid-market law firms and what needs to be done to truly turn around the investment in the mental well-being and recovery efforts of their lawyers.

Winston & Strawn has taken an extremely proactive approach to employee well-being and is deeply committed to providing its team members with the resources they need to be healthy and to thrive. In this episode, Diane Costigan, director of coaching and well-being at Winston & Strawn, shares how the firm has helped raise awareness, increased support and introduced resources within the firm to improve the overall well-being of its lawyers and staff.

Depression in men manifests differently than it does in women. Dr. John Ogrodniczuk, professor at the University of British Columbia, explains as he chats with Mark Yacano about men’s mental health, depression, and treatment, focusing on the resources available at HeadsUpGuys.org.

The conversation around inclusion often stops at how to and what are we doing to include people, but we don’t often talk about the emotional, physical and psychological cost to people of not being included. Dr. Arin Reeves, president of Nextions and former lawyer, chats with Mark Yacano about the impact of generational differences on mental health and happiness in the workplace.

Lisa Smith, lawyer and author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar, shares her personal journey of addiction and substance abuse—and recovery—with Mark Yacano. She discusses what it has taken to become sober and how she is now bringing attention to—and trying to normalize—mental health issues within the legal profession.

Jeena Cho, lawyer, author, mindfulness instructor and wellness consultant, shares with Mark Yacano the realities of anxiety and how meditation and mindfulness can help attorneys—and everyone—combat the stress associated with the negative physiology cycle brought on by worry and fear. Hear her story and walk through a quick meditation worth using daily.

Having a safe space for your attorneys to share their mental health challenges should be a priority for law firms. Tom Regan, partner with Lewis Brisbois, explains to Mark Yacano why this is important by sharing his experiences as a practice leader and lawyer.

In this episode, Dan Lukasik, director of workplace well-being for the Mental Health Association, shares with Mark Yacano his personal experiences with clinical depression and his journey to bringing awareness and help to others in the legal profession through the creation of one of the first support groups in the country for lawyers.

Dr. Rachel Fry started her practice to help others find more joy and meaning in their lives. She chats with Mark Yacano about her experience working with lawyers and law firms as well as the therapy cycle and the barriers to getting care.

Mark Yacano chats with Patrick Krill about the American Bar Association and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s study on attorney mental health and how to raise awareness of mental health issues facing the legal profession.