State Bar of Michigan: On Balance Podcast

Between forty and seventy percent of all malpractice claims and disciplinary proceedings are directly related to untreated mental health or substance abuse issues. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway discuss the intersection of wellbeing and professionalism/civility rules with Joan Vestrand and Tim Lessing. Wellness is necessary to a lawyer’s ability to conduct themselves professionally, but things may break down if wellness is compromised. They discuss the inherently adversarial system lawyers work within and outline strategies for mindset shifts that allow attorneys to live and practice law in ways that positively support mental health and wellbeing.  

Joan Vestrand is Dean of Students and Professor of Law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Tim Lessing is principle at Lessing Law, PLLC, where he specializes almost exclusively in trial/litigation practice in both civil and criminal law.

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Is AI coming for your job as an attorney? Ben Schorr of Microsoft has the short answer—no! But, AI can come alongside you to help you do your work even better. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Ben about ways lawyers can implement Microsoft Copilot in legal practice. From first drafts of documents, to brainstorming, to research help, and more, Copilot has much to offer in the daily lives of legal professionals. Ben also outlines common mistakes lawyers make when employing AI tools and explains how to effectively and ethically integrate Copilot into your practice. 

Ben M. Schorr is a Senior Content Developer at Microsoft.

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Due to his lived experience with stress and anxiety in the practice of law, Joe Ankus was inspired to get involved in mental health education in the legal profession. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Joe about his passion for coming alongside attorneys experiencing mental health challenges and increasing support in all areas of legal. Joe emphasizes the importance of openness in struggles with wellness or substance abuse and offers advice for lawyers on helping colleagues or seeking help for themselves. 

Resources:

Joe Ankus is president of both Attorney Mental Health Education, Inc., and Ankus Consulting, Inc.

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Cyber threats abound in our modern world, and lawyers and law firms are prime targets due to the sensitive nature of the information they hold in trust for clients. As such, cyber insurance is becoming a necessity for attorneys, but many feel overwhelmed by the numerous options available to them and how policies change as cyber risks evolve. To help lawyers comprehend the spectrum of cyber insurance services, Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Judy Selby to hear her expertise on this complicated topic. Judy explains what to look for in a policy, different types of coverage and limitations, and how to ensure that a policy will meet the unique needs of your law firm. 

Judy Selby is a partner at Kennedys and has over 30 years of experience in insurance coverage. 

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Legal practice can be stressful, and it is all too common to go through difficult seasons which, in turn, lead to negative impacts on our overall wellbeing. But, there are ways to equip lawyers with the skills to mindfully combat this tendency. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Laura Kelly about strategies for managing your mindset and finding joy and balance in your life. Laura shares stories from her own life and her experiences as a coach to help attorneys implement healthy practices that promote wellbeing both at work and at home. 

Laura F. Kelley is the founder of LFK Immigration PA, a comprehensive immigration firm based in Doral, FL.

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Leveraging AI in your practice can help you create better client experiences and become a more efficient lawyer. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Mitch Jackson about ways to integrate AI into your practice to speed up legal service delivery. Mitch talks through current ethics of AI use and offers many examples of ways to use AI in your day-to-day tasks, including research, document analysis, templates, chatbots, and so much more. 

Mitch Jackson is the CEO of Jackson and Wilson, a California litigation law firm, and founder of Maneuver Mediation.

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It is important to attorneys to build a rich career, but just as important is the time they put into life outside of legal practice. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Kevin McGoff about his recently published book, Find Your Landing Zone: Life Beyond the Bar. Kevin shares his personal experiences and discusses effective ways to manage transitions both during and at the close of a legal career. Kevin believes attorneys should commit to reflection and take charge of the many fulfilling opportunities retirement has in store.

 Kevin McGoff is an author, travel writer, speaker and lawyer.

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Technology can help you solve problems in your law firm, connect with clients, save time and money, and so much more. But, how do you know what tech will work best for your practice? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Colin Levy about understanding and utilizing technology, common mistakes in choosing new tools, and ways to overcome tech-related fear and anxiety. 

Check out Colin’s book, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, to learn more! 

Colin S. Levy is director of legal at Malbek, a legal tech evangelist and speaker, and an attorney with more than a decade of experience in corporate transactional law.

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The legal profession as a whole now has a heightened awareness of the fact that wellbeing is a critical piece in the life of a lawyer, but rates of addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles are still high. How can we support fellow attorneys, judges, students, and ourselves when dealing with a crisis? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Bree Buchanan to discuss her personal addiction and recovery story and learn about her work with the National Task Force on Lawyer wellbeing. Bree describes strategies and resources for reducing stigma and encouraging those who are struggling to seek the help they need. 

Lawyers & Judges Assistance Program - State Bar of Michigan

Bree Buchanan is co-founder of the National Task Force on Lawyer Wellbeing and co-author of its 2017 groundbreaking report that launched the Wellbeing in Law Movement.

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Clio’s Legal Trends Report has given us a whole new perspective on many aspects of the profession since its inception in 2016, and the latest report has new insights in store. JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns talk with Joshua Lenon about the 2023 findings and what they tell us about the current state of legal business and technology. They discuss rates and billing across different areas, tech features that improve legal businesses, notable findings in access to justice, AI tools in legal practice, and more. 

Peruse the report here: 2023 Legal Trends Report - Clio 

Joshua Lenon is Clio’s Lawyer in Residence, and has worked on the front lines of legal technology innovation for more than a decade.

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