The Mindfulness Blog

The ABA Working Group To Advance Well-Being In The Legal Profession, Commission On Lawyer Assistance Programs, Standing Committee On Professionalism and National Organization Of Bar Counsel joined in preparing a Report and draft Resolution 105, and delivered them to the ABA House of Delegates (who have yet to vote on either), "urging" all professional entities employing lawyers
"to consider" (my emphasis) certain wellbeing recommendations made by the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, almost 5 years ago.

As the character, Macbeth, characterizes his fate in the play that bears his name, draft Resolution 105 is little more than so much sound and fury, signifying nothing. As the less literary but much more blunt character, Clara, decried in the bygone Wendy's television ad, "Where's the beef?". The answer (sadly) is, there is no "beef"-- not when it comes to the subject of lawyer wellbeing.

Worse yet, the timidity of the carefully worded draft Resolution 105 unintentionally seems to encourage law firms to continue the charade that they actually care about the wellbeing of their lawyers and/or staff. In point of fact, the wellbeing Pledge that law firms are asked to sign (without a hint of enforcement or consequence) is actually more of the same-- political correctness, run amuck.

Credit to the men and women who make up the above-referenced professional oversight bodies, but with all due respect, the end-product of all their work is so watered down that it might as well have never been drafted.

The circle game that workplace wellbeing (and, in particular, lawyer wellbeing) has become, is an endless loop of talk with little real action-- what a shame.