BarCARES Leadership on Lawyer Well-Being: Eric Richardson
May is not only Mental Health Awareness Month, but also Lawyer Well-Being Week — a time to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innovation across the profession year-round to improve well-being (wellbeingweek.org). We called on members of the NCBA BarCARES Initiative leadership team to share their own personal experiences with well-being to help us dive deeper into the meanings behind this annual observance and provide advice for bettering one’s own well-being as a legal professional.
Our next Q&A is with Eric Richardson, president of the NCBA BarCARES Initiative and founder and owner of ER Law Trial Lawyers:
Q: This year’s theme is “Tending Joy.” What does Tending Joy mean to you?
A: “Tending joy” is not a common phrase in my vocabulary, but I would analogize it to a garden and the idea of putting together a plan to grow and produce joy. This is important for lawyers because our jobs may not regularly reveal “joy,” but instead could focus on combat, details, long hours, stress and anxiety. So lawyers have to affirmatively develop joy in their worlds and cultivate it. Each of us should decide how we will cultivate joy because we are all different. Tending joy feels like an aspect of our day, week or year that we consciously have to make room for or nurture.
Q: Lawyer Well-Being Week follows a daily schedule where each day focuses on a distinct dimension of holistic well-being. How do you like to strive for each of these dimensions in your own life?
Monday — Physical Well-Being
A: Activity, diet/nutrition, sleep/recovery — weekly personal training sessions, being mindful with meals and disengaging in the evenings to prepare for sleep.
Tuesday — Spiritual Well-Being
A: Cultivating a sense of purpose in work and life. Aligning our work and life with our values, goals and interests — we mainly serve clients who have personal needs, so our practice is set up to help people heal.
Wednesday — Career/Intellectual Well-Being
A: Seeking professional satisfaction and continuous learning and growth in our professional and personal lives. Engaging in creative or intellectually challenging activities that foster ongoing development and monitoring cognitive wellness — we try to stay involved in Bar leadership roles to balance the demands of casework.
Thursday — Social Well-Being
A: Building connection, belonging and a reliable support network. Contributing to our groups and communities — we encourage community outreach in charitable events and organizations, giving financially and of our time, and engaging others to do the same.
Friday — Emotional Well-Being
A: Valuing emotions. Identifying and managing emotions for health, to achieve goals and to inform decisions. Seeking help for mental health when needed — I think being present for friends, colleagues, clients and family is critical. To really care about other humans, not just people we like but all people.
Q: Why is it important that we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month during May, but more specifically, Lawyer Well-Being Week?
A: Our profession takes a toll on most of us. I don’t know anyone who is immune to the effects of long-term stress, anxiety, fear or physical deterioration. But too often we fail to understand that we are all in this together. No one should feel like they are on an island without hope, assistance, resources or friends — but we do. The continual reminder of all that we have and the availability of help are necessary to weather these storms.
Q: What advice do you have for other legal professionals who may be struggling with well-being?
A: You are not alone. Let us help you. There are amazing resources available to everyone — real, life-changing resources.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about serving on the BarCARES Executive Committee?
A: I have learned that a lot of people are struggling with or have struggled with mental health issues, and others rarely know about it. I have enjoyed working with so many dedicated committee members who are more than willing to share their experiences and expose the reality that suffering from mental health issues is not only more common than I perceived but also does not define any of us or our performance as lawyers. If anything, it informs what we do every day. The community of the committee makes us all better lawyers.
BarCARES is a confidential, short-term intervention program provided cost-free to members of participating judicial district bars, voluntary bar associations and law schools. Learn more about the NCBA BarCARES Initiative.