Relevant. Affordable. Actionable.
New nonprofit seeks to prioritize and improve well-being in the profession
Washington – April 26, 2021: The National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being has launched a new nonprofit dedicated to advancing systemic change in the legal profession so that well-being becomes a core component of personal and professional success.
This new organization – the Institute for Well-Being in Law (IWIL) – will advocate for systemic change in the legal profession to address a growing concern about mental health, substance use and addiction, and stress affecting lawyers. A June 2020 Association of Corporate Counsel flash poll showed that 75 percent of respondents were experiencing moderate to exceedingly high levels of burnout; half were experiencing sleep problems that bring on chronic fatigue; and almost a quarter disclosed an increased use of substances.
“The compounding crises of the past year have acted as an accelerant to the behavioral health problems that were already too prevalent in the legal profession,” said Bree Buchanan, president of IWIL. “The founders of IWIL believe there is no better time to launch this effort, which is focused on creating a culture change in how the profession prioritizes the well-being of its members.”
The issue of well-being in the law has gained significant traction since the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being released its groundbreaking report in 2017, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change. The report’s findings resulted in a national movement among stakeholders in the legal profession, including the judiciary, legal employers, regulators, law schools, malpractice carriers and lawyer assistance programs, and spurred the Task Force to establish IWIL in December 2020. Given the events of the past year—the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice reckoning, and environmental disasters—and the resulting urgent need to both stem a second epidemic of mental health problems and improve the overall well-being of all members of the legal profession, IWIL’s formation comes at a critical time.
In addition, IWIL is coordinating Well-Being Week In Law from May 3-7 to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innovation across the profession to improve well-being.
“The enthusiastic embrace of Well-Being Week in Law in only its second year provides more evidence of the growth of the well-being movement, which should make us all optimistic that positive change is possible,” said Anne Brafford, IWIL vice president and founder and chair of Well-Being Week in Law.
Five firms are Inaugural Founding Champions of the IWIL: Crowell & Moring LLP, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Reed Smith LLP. Representatives from each firm will serve on the IWIL’s 22-member Advisory Board and take active involvement in the organization. In addition to serving as founding members integral to IWIL’s formation and launch, the firms have each demonstrated their commitment to promoting well-being in law through considerable individual initiatives and programming.
Learn more at http://lawyerwellbeing.net.
Chris L. Newbold is Executive Vice President of ALPS Corporation and ALPS Property & Casualty Insurance Company, positions he has held since 2007. As Executive Vice President, Chris oversees ALPS business development team, sales strategy and served as ALPS’ chief liaison into the bar association community until 2023. Externally within legal circles, Chris is a recognized nationally based on his roles as a strategic planning facilitator to bar associations and bar foundations, his leadership work in the lawyer well-being movement and his work advising states regulators and / or bar associations exploring the merits of implementing mandatory malpractice insurance requirements or stricter client disclosure rules. On the strategic planning front, Chris’ lawyer credentials, knowledge of legal industry trends and keen observations into bar association relevance catapulted him into desired facilitator in legal conversations nationally. Chris' unique and innovative strategic planning approach have resulted in his leading retreats and legal conversations at the national, state and local levels, including with State Bars in Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations. On the issue of lawyer well-being, Chris has been at the epicenter of discussion both strategically and as an advocate. As co-author of the movement launching 2016 report The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change, his leadership as co-chair of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, his participation on the ABA’s Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession, his role as co-host The Path to Well-Being in Law podcast, and his time as President of The Institute of Well-Being in Law Chris has been at the forefront of a movement intent on creating a culture shift in the legal profession, and advancing personal and professional satisfaction in all sectors of legal life. Chris has also been active nationally counseling State bar associations and regulators on the viability of requiring lawyers to maintain malpractice insurance as a condition of licensure. Given Chris’ insurance industry knowledge, particularly within small firms and solo practitioners, his insights have been additive to the conversations in states like Nevada, Washington, California and Idaho. Chris is also well versed in alternatives to mandatory insurance like client disclosure rules. Chris received his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 2001 and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1994). Following his graduation from law school, he served one year as a law clerk for the Honorable Terry N. Trieweiler of the Montana Supreme Court. After his clerkship, he launched his ALPS career as President and principal consultant of ALPS Foundation Services, a non-profit fundraising and philanthropic management consulting firm. In that capacity, he authored The Complete Guide to Bar Foundations in conjunction with the National Conference of Bar Foundations. Outside of the law, Chris is currently chair of the board of directors of the University of Montana Alumni Association, has authored two children’s book about collegiate mascots (The Big Bucky Badger Mystery (Wisconsin) and The Wild Wolf Pack Mystery (Nevada)) and enjoys his Montana lifestyle with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Cameron, Mallory and Lauren.
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