In a move that hopefully signals the beginning of a much-needed and potentially powerful trend benefiting lawyers everywhere, Morgan Lewis has hired its first Director of Employee Well-Being to implement its program called ML Well.

Morgan Lewis was among the first law firms in 2018 to sign an ABA pledge by legal employers promising to take steps to promote lawyer and staff well-being. The pledge was developed by an ABA working group that was formed after a survey found that the levels of problem drinking and mental health issues in the legal profession were significantly higher than in the general population and many other professions. To date, a total of 73 law firms, corporations and law schools have signed the pledge, which includes an obligation to report steps taken to further those well-being goals. Working with the Chief Engagement Officer, Morgan Lewis’s new Director of Employee Well-Being is aiming to make good on that pledge.

There are many small and larger steps that legal organizations can take to empower a more resilient and healthier work force. This ML Well program will no doubt be examined for its effectiveness in promoting both successful and satisfying careers. Individual lawyers can and should advocate for this kind of assistance, whether as an organization-wide program, or as specific personal support.

Law People Management has long added its voice to the imperative of promoting healthier lawyers and organizations. Muir’s bestselling book Beyond Smart: Lawyering with Emotional Intelligence, her many presentations on the importance of emotional intelligence to achieving healthy, high-performing professionals, her workshops on raising emotional intelligence, and her advocacy for emotionally responsible workplaces, such as her recent appearance at University of California Irvine School of Law’s Symposium on Lawyer Well-Being, all attest to the importance that Law People Management places on lawyer well-being.

Congratulations to Morgan Lewis for taking this important step.