Reimagining Wellness for More Harmonious Lawyering

• Pages: 32-33
• Date: 01 July 2025
• Published date: 01 July 2025
• Author: Erin E. Clifford
• Subject Matter: Administrative & Public Law

Published i n Litigation News Volu me 50, Number 4 , Summer 2025. © 2 025 by the Americ an Bar Associa tion. Reprodu ced with permiss ion. All rights r eserved. Thi s information or any p ortion

thereof may not b e copied or dis seminated in a ny form or by any mea ns or stored in a n electroni c database or r etrieval syst em without the ex press writt en consent of th e American B ar Associa tion.

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

By Erin E. Cl ifford, Litigation News Contribut ing Editor

Reimagining Wellness for More

Harmonious Lawyering

n the legal profession, we are well acquainted with

long hours, high stress, and the unrelenting pursuit of

excellence. Too many accept that gaining success in the

workplace often comes with loss elsewhere—a neglected

personal life, strained relationships with partners or kids,

loss of well-being, or unhealthy coping mechanisms. The good

news is that we do not have to sacrice everything to be at the

top of our game. By changing our outlook on success, such

that achieving peak performance does not have to equal bill-

able hours and burnout, we will not just survive in the profes-

sion—but we will thrive in it.

There Is No Such T hing as Bala nce

The word “balance” means to evenly distribute weight. I don’t

know about you, but I envision scales, percentage points, and

tightropes. No matter what images come to mind, the idea of

balance is static—that our responsibilities are weighed and

kept even. Life, especially that of a lawyer, is anything but

static. I recently authored the book Wellness Reimagined: A

Holistic Approach to Health, Happiness, and Harmony, in

which I introduce the idea of striving for harmony versus bal-

ance. This means intentionally crafting life domains in a way

that brings the most life satisfaction. It allows for weaving life

domains together so an individual can live a more intentional

and fullling life. Instead of putting concrete expectations into

the roles in our lives, we can adopt exible habits that allow us

to adjust to the moving pieces of work and life. In short, har-

monious lawyering is about embracing the idea of holistic well-

ness and navigating through life with presence and intention.

The Holistic Wellness Approach

There are multiple dimensions of wellness. Happiness is not

just rooted in a successful career; it is a mixture of meet-

ing many needs rooted in mental, physical, spiritual, and

emotional well-being. A harmonious approach to lawyering

includes attending to all these elements, even imperfectly.

When we pay attention to what areas need more or less tend-

ing, we will begin to see positive shifts in our careers and

personal lives.

When we make a conscientious shift with how we engage

in the legal profession, we will see a reduction in stress and

reactivity, an enhancement in productivity and focus, and an

improvement in long-term career satisfaction. Harmonious

lawyering is not about doing less or escaping the demands of

lawyering; it’s about staying in the game—wiser, stronger, and

more whole.

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