Sponsored by The Missouri Bar, The Bar Plan, and the Missouri Bar Foundation
8:30-9:20 a.m. | Breakfast and optional Friends of Bill W. meeting
9:20-9:30 a.m. | Welcome
Speaker: Megan E. Phillips, President of The Missouri Bar
9:30-10:20 a.m. | Don’t lose your personal identity! You are more than just a lawyer.
Speakers: Paige Sparks and Samantha Sparks, Sparks Law Firm, St. Charles, MO
This presentation would focus on lawyer well-being and mindfulness by offering thoughts and advice on how not to lose your personal identity as a lawyer while chasing legal dreams. Whether you practice in big law or a small firm, it is very easy to lose yourself while you are catering to clients and juggling deadlines and the overall stress that comes with our jobs. This presentation will promote tips and tricks for healthy work-life balance in the legal field.
10:20-10:30 a.m. | Break
10:30-11:20 a.m. | The importance of sleep to our overall health
Speaker: Dr. Abid Bhat, Sweet Sleep Studio LLC, Shawnee, KS
Many lawyers wear sleep deprivation as a badge of honor to demonstrate how hard they are working, but it is critical for lawyers to get adequate sleep to recover from occupational stresses and perform at their highest professional level. Good sleep hygiene has a host of short and long-term benefits, from boosting mood to improving memory to even decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. And anyone who has woken up for a morning meeting after a poor night’s sleep can attest that sleep is a necessary component to being one's optimal self. This program will provide practical tips and suggestions to help lawyers get to sleep, stay asleep, and make sure they are getting the right amount of sleep for peak brain functioning overall.
Key points:
• Discuss impact of sleep deprivation on society.
• Discuss common sleep disorders, including insomnia, snoring & sleep apnea.
• Discuss ways to address common sleep disorders
11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m. | Keynote: The 12 steps of recovery, as worked through the Rules of Professional Conduct
Speaker: Lisa L. Hanna, Coldwater, MI
Attorneys may not appreciate that they are essentially working the 12 Steps of Recovery, simply by virtue of practicing law and adhering to the Rules of Professional Conduct. We will go through each of the 12 steps, and what those entail in practice. I intersperse with my story, and sprinkle with recovery slogans relevant to each step. Particular rules will be mirrored against the steps and similarities discussed.
12:10-12:40 p.m. | Luncheon and awards ceremony
Sponsor: The Bar Plan
12:40-1:45 p.m. | Addressing silent disabilities in the workplace
Speakers: Raven Ballard, MOLAP Clinician and Well-being Coordinator, Jefferson City; and David Crawford, Crawford Intellectual Property Law, St. Louis
This program aims to spread awareness on the prevalence of silent disabilities and mental health issues in the workplace. Speakers David Crawford and Raven Ballard, PLPC will provide education on how to address these concerns when they arise, both from a personal and professional perspective.
1:45-2:45 p.m. | Trauma in the legal profession
Speaker: Timothy W. Roldan, St. Louis
Trauma is a psychological, emotional, behavioral, relational, and physiological experience that may be characterized in many ways, idiosyncratic to each individual. This short introductory program will introduce attendees to terms and concepts within common knowledge followed by a deeper dive into symptoms that attorneys may recognize in their practice and personal experience offering notice of a need for a safe place to share, be heard, and feel understood. Much like any other medical disturbance, awareness and early intervention are the keys to prevention, risk management, and mitigation.
2:45-2:50 p.m. | Break
2:50-4:05 p.m. | The Righting Reflex – Stress management and well-being for attorneys and other human beings
Speaker: Jimmy Fendelman, Fendelman, Paull & Associates, LLC, St. Louis
This is a fun, high-energy program which teaches the four fundamental tools of well-being:
1) Mindfulness.
2) Perspective.
3) Self-regulation.
4) Resilience.
Through vivid examples and engaging stories we learn how to "land on our feet like a cat" in any stressful situation. Participants will emerge energized and inspired to approach the practice of law with new vigor and enthusiasm.
4:05 p.m. | Adjourn