The pandemic made many things change at a rapid pace, but even with this evolution, the same competency areas are still needed to thrive in the practice of law. On Balance hosts Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Cat Moon to discuss the practice, process, and people skills that make up the Delta Model, which helps lawyers bring self-awareness and growth to their work and personal lives. Cat shares examples of the Delta Model in action in the lives of legal professionals and students and recommends all lawyers rethink how they work to discover a more joyful career experience. 

Caitlin “Cat” Moon is the Director of Innovation Design for the Program in Law and Innovation at Vanderbilt Law School. 

Special thanks to our sponsor Embroker.

Succession planning is critical for ensuring the protection of lawyers, clients, and the public; but does every lawyer need a plan? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Alecia Chandler about how to figure out what type of plan you need and the resources available on the State Bar of Michigan’s website. Check out the Planning Ahead Handbook, as well as many other checklists and forms designed to help you create a comprehensive plan for your law firm. 

Alecia Chandler is Professional Responsibility Programs Director for the State Bar of Michigan.

Negative perspectives on the legal profession can sometimes affect lawyers more than they realize, as unrealistic expectations, pressure for perfection, and even tacky lawyer jokes work against their mental health. In this On Balance podcast, Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Dawn Kulongowski about how meditation and mindfulness can help lawyers cope with stressors and develop a positive mindset. 

Dawn Kulongowski is owner of The Peaceful Practice and Creative Smiles Dental Group. 

Legal professionals tend to focus on rules, policies, oaths, etc., but this isn’t enough when it comes to ethical decision-making. JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns welcome Victoria Vuletich to explain the components of ethical wellness and a variety of dynamics that influence problem solving. Victoria offers insights on how ethical wellness and moral resilience affect the outcomes of ethical dilemmas often faced by legal professionals. 

Victoria Vuletich is the CEO and founder of Ethics Squared LLC.

Suicide has been a pervasive issue in the legal profession for many years, but the more we understand and talk about this issue, the more help we can give to those at risk. JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns talk with Erica Grigg about her personal experiences and her insights on how to recognize signs and talk to someone you fear may be considering suicide. They also discuss the impactful ways Lawyer Assistance Programs provide support to legal professionals and help with suicide prevention. 

Erica Grigg is director of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program.

Collaboration tools, technologies that people use in order to work with each other, are useful for law firms of all sizes, and they don’t need to break the bank! Helping attorneys to communicate, meet, create and work on documents, share files, and other activities, these tools help lawyers collaborate with all the people they work with – co-workers, clients, opposing counsel, the courts – anyone with whom a lawyer interacts as part of a law practice.

Collaboration tools can include Zoom and Microsoft Teams for meeting, Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat to work on documents together, or tools like Box, Dropbox, or OneDrive for file sharing.

On Balance hosts Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway welcome Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell to hear their many insights on collaborative technologies. They offer tips on assessing needs, selecting the right tools, and thoughtfully introducing new technology into your law firm’s processes.

Check out Dennis and Tom’s book: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together and their podcast: The Kennedy-Mighell Report.

Dennis Kennedy is an information technology lawyer and legal technology pioneer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Tom Mighell is currently senior consultant for Contoural, Inc., working with corporations to improve their records management and e-discovery practice.

How does someone know if they have an alcohol problem? In the legal profession, alcohol consumption has long been the norm, but, for some, healthy limits become blurred and unhealthy patterns emerge. On Balance hosts Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Wendy McCallum about her personal experiences with alcohol and legal career burnout. Wendy talks about the importance of tuning in to your own concerns, avoiding shame-and-blame cycles, and treating yourself with self-compassion as you make changes. 

Wendy McCallum is a professional burnout and alcohol coach and wellness expert.

Adapting and growing through stressful circumstances creates more resilient lawyers. Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway get some positive tips from Anne Chambers about how lawyers can not only cope, but learn to thrive in the face of stress. Anne focuses on gratefulness, mindfulness, and self care, and encourages lawyers to alter their perspective on stressors common to the profession and see them as opportunities for growth. 

Anne Chambers is a licensed clinical social worker and director of the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program.

With ongoing concerns about COVID-19 and new uncertainty arising from the Delta variant, many attorneys are feeling stuck, unsure how and when to move forward in both their personal and professional lives. So, how can lawyers and law firms alike start recovering from these months of added stress? Molly Ranns and JoAnn Hathaway talk with Laura Mahr about her tips for increasing personal resilience and supporting mental health for law firm staff.

Laura Mahr is a lawyer and the founder of Conscious Legal Minds LLC, which provides mindfulness-based wellness training, coaching, and consulting for lawyers and law offices nationwide.

As a lawyer, developing your personal brand may actually have the potential to improve your legal practice in more ways than you realize. On Balance hosts JoAnn Hathaway and Molly Ranns talk with Katy Goshtasbi about how lawyers can build a personal brand by identifying the unique things they have to offer their clients. Katy outlines her formal research on stress and self-confidence and explains how increased self-awareness positively impacts these areas of lawyers’ lives and helps naturally support diversity and inclusion. 

Check out Katy’s Free Personal Branding Quiz: https://purisconsulting.com/quiz/

And her book: Personal Branding in One Hour For Lawyers 

Katy Goshtasbi is a change and branding expert, founder of Puris Consulting, and a former securities/compliance lawyer.