9:10 – 10:00 a.m.

Lawyer Well-Being: A Panel Discussion

Panelists:
Hon. Ben Burgess, Retired, Sedgwick County Dist. Ct.
Amy Elliot, Law Office of Amy E. Elliot
Steve Rupert, Sedgwick County Public Defender Office
Sara Zafar, Franklin Law Office

During this session, the panel will discuss advancing well-being within the legal profession and the importance of focusing on mental health, substance use, and other related well-being issues within the practice of law. The panel will share their own thoughts on how we can not only survive but thrive in the profession. This program will also examine the role of stigma and bias in preventing those from asking for and accessing help and what we can do when we know a colleague may need assistance.

10:10 – 11:00 a.m

Getting Back to the Basics of Well-Being

Speaker: Trina A. Nudson, J.D., LBSW, My Child Advocate
(Appearing Remotely)

During this session, we will discuss the key components of well-being, focusing on how lawyer competency requires taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We will also look at how the basics of sleep, nutrition, and physical movement impact our cognition and stress response, ultimately impacting how we provide representation to our clients.

11:10 – 12:00 p.m.

The Civility and Well-Being Connection

Speakers:
Danielle M. Hall, Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program
Julia Hart, Office of the Disciplinary Administrator 

Research clearly demonstrates that a lack of civility negatively impacts nearly every facet of any organization, including morale and productivity. It is also clear that in addition to negatively impacting our work, incivility can damage our health. Within the profession, incivility can also damage the trust in the judicial process. During this session, the presenters will discuss the connection between civility and well-being, including how we are impacted by incivility and why the behavior may be occurring. The attendees will also be provided strategies and potential ways that lawyers can reverse the atmosphere of increased incivility.

1:00 – 1:50 p.m.

The Lawyer Brain: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Speaker:  Dr. Lance Parker, The Parker Group, Inc.

Practicing law while maintaining your ethical obligations, can sometimes seem like everything, everywhere all at once. There are solutions, however, for the overwhelmed. During this session, Dr. Lance Parker will explain how being overwhelmed in the profession affects the brain and can impact the lawyer in ways that inhibit meeting ethical standards meant to protect the public and the client. He will also provide practical solutions for overcoming the overwhelm and stress of the practice.

2:00 – 2:50 p.m.

Stress Busting Workshop

Facilitator: Danielle Hall, Kansas Lawyers Assistance Program

This session is intended to be an interactive session where attendees will take what we have learned throughout the day and dive deeper into discussion about stress and stress response within the practice of law. Attendees will also complete a series of activities that they can implement within their daily routine to reduce stress and improve their practice.