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Webinar

2022 27th Annual Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Conference


Total Credits: 5.1 MCLE, 4.3 Ethics, 5.0 Kansas Credit, 4.0 Kansas Ethics

Practice Area:
Ethics |  Lawyer Well-being
Format:
Audio and Video

Dates


Description

Originally presented 11/4/2022

Sponsored by The Missouri Bar, The Bar Plan, and the Missouri Bar Foundation

8–8:42 a.m. | When Law Gives You Lemons 
Speaker: Krystal K. Weigl
, Stock Legal, LLC, St. Louis
This conversation explores what the framework provided by various lemon laws can teach us about professional boundaries, career sustainability, and fulfillment. 

8:42–8:52 a.m. | Break 

8:52–9:51 a.m. | Judges and Mental Health 
Speakers: Anne Chambers, LCSW
, Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program, Jefferson City; Hon. Becky J. W. Borthwick, 31st Judicial Circuit, Springfield; and Hon. Joseph P. Whyte, 22nd Judicial Circuit, St. Louis 
This presentation will focus on judges and mental health. Panelists will discuss the importance of judicial well-being, warning signs of burnout and compassion fatigue and how judges are at risk. We will cover key takeaways from a recent national survey on sources of stress and resilience in the US judiciary. A panelist will share their experience, strength and hope. We will highlight resources for judges and attorneys, and conclude with an eye on the future based on the latest survey on lawyer well-being. The presentation will be interactive, with an opportunity for question and answer time.  

9:51–10:01 a.m. | Break 

10:01–11:37 a.m. | All About Interventions 
Speakers: Gary K. Burger
, Burger Law, St. Louis; and Hugh F. O’Donnell, III, Attorney and Mediator, Kansas City
The presentation will cover the various types of interventions under Rule 16. 

11:37–11:47 a.m. | Break 

11:47 a.m.– 12:45 p.m. | Taking a Healthy Approach to the Stress of a Legal Practice – Lawyer Well-Being in Today’s World 
Speaker:  Brendan M. Cournane
, Law Office of Brendan M. Cournane, Chicago, IL 
The practice of law has changed dramatically in the last 40 years, a timeframe within the memory of many of today’s lawyers. Lawyers who started their practice as recently as the 80’s and early 90's did not have laptops, smartphones, texts or emails. Even those too young to remember how things were, 'back in the day', confront the 'advances' inherent in the practice of law in today's world. 
Today’s practice makes it much more difficult to be ‘untethered’ while on vacation or when at home, indeed, at any time. And lawyers did not work from home (WFH) until very recently. As a result, with the advanced technology and WFH benefits, the legal practice has seen a dramatic increase in the stressors challenging lawyer well-being, with many negative consequences for the lawyer and her/his clients. 
In November 2018, the American Bar Association released the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being Report focusing on chronic stress on lawyers, mental health issues such as depression, substance abuse/disorder and related matters.
We will examine six influencers related to lawyer well-being, and identify several coping techniques lawyers use to handle stress in our lives. Some are unhealthy while others are healthy and lead to better work-life harmony.
By the end of the session, we will be able to (i) define 3 types of stress; (ii) demonstrate an exercise to identify stress in the body; (iii) describe 6 influencers impacting our daily stress load; and (iv) implement 2-3 healthy coping techniques to reduce stress on a daily basis.

12:45 p.m. | Adjourn 

Moderators: 

Anne Chambers 
Raven Ballard,
The Missouri Bar, Jefferson City

Materials

Speaker

Hon. Becky Borthwick's Profile

Hon. Becky Borthwick Related Seminars and Products

31st Judicial Circuit


Judge Borthwick was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District in September 2022.  Judge Becky Borthwick was appointed circuit judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit Court in October 2019 and was retained in 2020. She was appointed associate circuit judge in April 2016 and was retained in 2018. 

Judge Borthwick was previously in private practice, served as an assistant attorney general for Missouri, and was a full-time municipal court judge for Springfield.

Judge Borthwick received her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma in 1995. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991.


Gary Burger's Profile

Gary Burger Related Seminars and Products

Burger Law


Gary Burger has been a trial lawyer for 27 years and is the founder of Burger law – a small to medium sized firm dedicated to zealous representation of injury victims and their families.

Gary is a Board and Executive Committee Member of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a member of the Board of Governors of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and a member of the Missouri Supreme Court Intervention Committee under Rule 16.

Gary has been chosen as a Superlawyer for over a decade, is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and recipient of other professional recognitions. He is AV rated by LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell, Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois, the Missouri Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th and 8th Circuits and various Federal District Courts.

Gary is a member of Illinois and Missouri Bar Associations, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys and the American Association for Justice, and winner of 2018 second highest jury verdict in Missouri.

Gary grew up in the St. Louis area and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Washington University School of Law. Gary lives in St. Louis with his wife, kids and dogs. Gary is an avid scuba diver and bee keeper.

Gary is a former Chairman of the Missouri Lawyers Assistance Committee and member of the Missouri Lawyers Regional Disciplinary Committee.

Gary created and co-hosts a podcast called Lawyervlawyer, which provides advice, trial tips, and discussions on real-life litigation situations by and for practicing lawyers. Gary speaks at and hosts Continuing Legal Education courses for fellow lawyers.


Anne Chambers's Profile

Anne Chambers Related Seminars and Products

Lawyers' Assistance Director

The Missouri Bar


Anne Chambers, LCSW serves as the Director of the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program. She has significant experience working with people to address mental health and substance concerns.

Ms. Chambers has served as past president of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, past chair of the National Association of Social Workers Legal Defense Fund Service Board, and past chair of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs Senior Lawyers Committee.

Ms. Chambers received her Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University in 1990. She has been licensed in clinical social work in Missouri since 1992. She lives with her family in Columbia. 

 


Brendan Cournane's Profile

Brendan Cournane Related Seminars and Products

Law Office of Brendan M. Cournane


In 1995, I ran the Chicago Marathon, qualified for the 100th Boston Marathon and those events changed my life. I learned the importance of having balance among my work, family, and personal life. 

Over the years since then I have become a Certified Professional Coach. I specialize in helping professionals learn why they do what they do - and how to improve their life skills to get the most out of life.

Over the last 30+ years, I have incorporated life lessons learned through Recovery, a busy law practice, raising a family with 4 children, and running marathons around the world. I've learned mindfulness practice and being true to oneself are integral to achieving happiness and success in my life. 

Today, I'm grateful for the opportunity to share these life lessons and the gifts of happiness and serenity with others through professional development coaching, speaking engagements and articles in a variety of publications in which I share my life experience, strength and hope.


Hugh O'Donnell's Profile

Hugh O'Donnell Related Seminars and Products

Attorney at Law and Mediator


Hugh O'Donnell practices family law with his own firm in Kansas City. He has mediated thousands of family law cases over the past 20+ years, and introduced collaborative divorce to Missouri and Kansas family lawyers. He is chairman of the Missouri Bar Intervention Committee, established by Supreme Court Rule 16.



Hon. Joseph Whyte's Profile

Hon. Joseph Whyte Related Seminars and Products

Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit of Missouri


Judge Joseph Whyte was appointed circuit judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court in 2018. He served as an assistant attorney general for Missouri for two years and was engaged in the private practice of law for almost 26 years. 

Judge Whyte is a Missouri Lawyers' Assistance Program volunteer. He is also a member of the Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, the Fox Park Neighborhood Association, and the Patriot Guard Riders.

Judge Whyte received his B.S. from the University of Missouri - Columbia, and he received his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.

 


Cancellation Policy

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