In 2017 The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change was published by the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. The report has become the catalyst for efforts to improve the well-being of lawyers nationwide and here in Idaho.
What Is Attorney Well-Being?
The meaning of “well-being” is:
Maintaining well-being is part of lawyers’ ethical duty of competence. It calls for healthy, positive choices to assure that lawyers can be their best for their clients, families, organizations, and communities. Further, to be their best, lawyers depend on a large number of important contributors who are not lawyers. Therefore, well-being across the legal profession is an important goal.
The Task Force’s definition of well-being is not defined solely as an absence of dysfunction; nor is it limited to feeling “happy.” Full well-being is multi-dimensional and requires things like connection, belonging, continual growth, and aligning our lives with our values. It requires that we take care of all aspects of our lives.[1]
The Attorney Well-Being Committee was formed in September 2023 by the Board of Commissioners of the Idaho State Bar to improve the well-being of the legal profession in Idaho. The Committee brings various representatives from sections, committees, and practice groups together to investigate obstacles to well-being in the profession and identify resources to help attorneys, judges, law students, and related staff members not only survive but thrive in their professional and personal lives.
Please feel free to reach out to members of the Committee if you have ideas for programs or resources that would be helpful to others or if you have questions. Teresa Baker, the ISB staff liaison is also available at (208) 334-4500.
Well-Being Task Force Report – December 2022
Committee Members
| Chairperson Mo Haws Nampa – 3rd & 4th District | Nichole Gabriel Boise – 4th District | |
| Jamal Lyksett Pullman – 2nd District | Tyler Rands Twin Falls – 5th District | |
| Hon. Juneal Kerrick Caldwell – 3rd & 4th District | Carole Wesenberg Pocatello – 6th District | |
| Kacey Jones Meridian – 4th District | Julie Stomper Idaho Falls – 7th District |
[1] Institute For Well-Being In Law, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change(August 15, 2017), https://lawyerwellbeing.net/the-report/