May 2024

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and continue the conversation about the importance of mental health and behavioral health on our overall well-being. Our mental health is effected by our personal lives and our work lives. What many outside of our industry may not know is that this week is Well-Being Week in Law. So why does the legal industry have a well-being-focused week? Bluntly put, it's because the legal industry’s approach to prioritizing the well-being of lawyers and legal professionals has been historically lacking.

Changing the Narrative

At Hanson Bridgett, we’re emphasizing that wellness must come first. Countless studies have looked at behavioral health issues like substance abuse, stress, depression, and anxiety, and have found that these issues are extremely common. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. In-depth studies by the California Lawyers Association found alarming trend: that attorneys are at even higher risk of suffering from these issues.

To facilitate change, it starts by acknowledging this, raising awareness, and taking action to positively alter the culture.

At Hanson Bridgett, this supportive culture includes:

• Helping our people achieve a better work-life balance through increased flexibility in terms of hours, schedules, and our remote/hybrid model
• Offering confidential third-party mental and wellness services as a key benefit to all attorneys and administrative professionals
• NEW: Hanson Bridgett’s HR team is rolling out a firmwide steps challenge, as we know that regular exercise and physical activity can boost our mental health and emotional well-being

Well-Being Week in Law at Hanson Bridgett

This week is primarily about raising awareness—which means we’re talking about these issues, offering tips, and normalizing that it’s OK to struggle. By participating in Well-Being Week in Law, we’re taking a step in the right direction, and we’re hopeful for the future. Here’s what we are encouraging all Hanson Bridgett employees to do this week as we work toward a healthier industry:

• Stay Strong: Physical Well-being – Get physically active for 25 minutes today through small bouts of activity all day. Do five new things that positively impact or improve the welfare of work colleagues or clients.
• Align: Spiritual Well-being – Do five new things that positively impact or improve the welfare of work colleagues or clients. Choose things outside your normal work routine, and do them all in one day. Research says you’ll get a boost in your work’s meaningfulness
• Engage & Grow: Career & Intellectual Well-Being – Positive challenge and continual growth are strong sources of mental well-being, while stagnation and underutilization of skills and strengths are related to depressive symptoms. To experiment with this source of well-being, pick an area for personal growth (at work or home) and make a specific action plan for the next 3 months.
• Connect: Social Well-Being – Even when you’re busy and stressed, do your best to avoid being sarcastic, disrespectful, curt, snide, rude, or unfair to your colleagues. Don’t yell or unfairly blame or criticize them. Pay special attention to your emails and texts.
• Feel Well: Emotional Well-Being – One of the simplest prescriptions for greater happiness is this: Think about what you’re doing. We’re happiest (and less depressed) when we’re mentally present while engaging in the world. The particular way we spend our day (e.g., partying vs. a quiet night at home) matters much less than whether our thoughts match our actions.