Well-Being Committee

As trusted legal advisers and leaders, lawyers tend to lead busy lives - working long hours and navigating high stress situations and constant change. Certainly, many challenges that lawyers face provide important opportunities for growth and learning.  But, as reported in the Hawaii Task Force Report on Lawyer Well-Being issued in June 2021 and available here, and the ABA National Task Force Report on Lawyer Well-Being issued in 2017 and available here, studies show that the demands of the profession can take their toll. Indeed, lawyers can be prone to chronic stress and high rates of depression and substance abuse.  

The HSBA Well-Being Committee is working to implement priority recommendations from the Hawaii Task Force Report aimed at improving and supporting lawyer well-being in a variety of ways, including for example, preventing and recovering from burnout, compassion fatigue, financial fitness, mindfulness through meditation, health and fitness, and social activities.   

Please feel free to contact [email protected] or any Committee member if you’d like to volunteer for or discuss any well-being activities or initiatives.  We welcome and appreciate your interest.         

Follow us on Instagram @hsbawellbeing or join our LinkedIn group, Hawaii Lawyer Well-Being.

Upcoming Events

Hawaii Events for National Lawyer Well-Being Week (May 6 to 10, 2024)

The HSBA Well-Being Committee is pleased to share the following slate of activities and events for the Well-Being in Law Week. These activities and events are open to attorneys, staff, and law students.

Mindful Mondays Monday, May 6 at 12:00pm (Virtual)
Starting at noon is a beginner-friendly guided mindfulness chair-seated meditation like how we’ve been doing, with some expanded remarks on this practice in relation to overall consciousness. Additional discussion may follow at 12:30. Click here to join via Zoom or use Meeting ID: 815 9249 1338 with Passcode: 065131

Nutrition for Busy Lifestyles Tuesday, May 7 at 12:00pm (Virtual)
Please join the HSBA Lawyer Well-Being Committee as we learn about implementing healthy nutrition practices into busy lifestyles, such as a lifestyle of practicing law. Keʻalohi Naipo, a Registered Dietitian, will explore common trends in nutrition for people with busy lifestyles, dive into the implications of such trends, and then discuss practices to simplify and provide satisfaction in meal planning while also tying cultural and ancestral foods into healthy routines. CLE credit may be available for this session pending approval. Sign up here.

Hilo Bench Bar Walk Tuesday, May 7 at 4:45pm (In person)
Meet at the entrance to Liliuokalani Gardens Park by the park sign, at the corner of Banyan Drive and Lihiwai Street across of Hilo Bay Café, for an afternoon walk around the gardens.

Honolulu Bench Bar Walk Wednesday, May 8 at 4:45pm (In person)
Meet at the King Street gate of ‘Iolani Palace for an afternoon walk around the Capitol.

All About the Mindful Business Charter - Reducing Unnecessary Stress in the Way We Work Thursday, May at 9:00am (Virtual)
Please join the HSBA Lawyer Well-Being Committee as we learn about the Mindful Business Charter from Richard Martin. Mr. Martin created and leads the Charter, which was created as a collaboration between the world's largest clients and the world's largest law firms to humanize the practice of law. Please see the attached flyer for more information! CLE credit may be available for this session pending approval.

Mr. Martin was formerly a senior law firm partner in London specialising in employment law. In 2011 he experienced serious mental illness and was hospitalised. He now splits his time between workplace consultancy Byrne Dean providing training and strategic support to employers around mental health, and leading the Mindful Business Charter, an employer led initiative to reduce the unnecessary stress in the ways we work so as to work more healthily and more effectively. He chairs the Lord Mayor of London’s This is Me campaign which uses storytelling to break down the stigma that still exists around mental illness, is a qualified coach and mental health first aid instructor. In 2018 he published his memoir of mental illness and recovery, This Too Will Pass – Anxiety in a professional world.

Sign up here.

Special Outdoor Events - Space Limited

We have two special outdoor events planned on O‘ahu in May to help us celebrate National Lawyer Well-Being Week (May 6-10). HSBA Leadership Institute fellows (2023) Mele Coleman and Caitlin Moon are organizing these events in collaboration with the Well-Being Committee to provide members of our legal community with opportunities to learn about important conservation work happening in He‘eia while enjoying the outdoors. We hope you can attend one or both tours. ‘Ohana and friends are welcome. Spots are limited and are first come, first serve. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience

On May 4, 2024, you are invited to go on a one-hour guided walking tour of He'eia Fishpond, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond. The tour will start at 9am and be led by Paepae o He’eia, a nonprofit organization established in 2001 and dedicated to restoring and caring for He'eia Fishpond. Cost is $15 per person (kama'aina) and keiki 3 and under are free. Cost is $15 per person (kama‘aina) and keiki 3 and under are free. Click here to learn more about Paepae o He‘eia.

On May 11, 2024, you are invited to go on a one-hour guided walking tour to start at 9am and hosted by Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi, an nonprofit established in 2006 that cares for approximately 400 acres in He‘eia, including lo‘i kalo (taro patches) and agroforestry sites. Cost is $15 per person (kama‘aina) and keiki 5 and under are free. Click here to learn more about Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi.

Bench Bar Wednesday Walk May Schedule

In addition to the May 6-10 Well Being in Law Week, the Wellness Committee has scheduled addition Bench Bar Wednesday Walks for the month of May!

  • Honolulu: Meet at the King Street gate of ‘Iolani Palace for an afternoon walk around the Capitol. May 1, 15, 22, and 29 at 4:45pm.
  • Hilo: Meet at the entrance to Liliuokalani Gardens Park by the park sign, at the corner of Banyan Drive and Lihiwai Street across of Hilo Bay Café, for an afternoon walk around the gardens. May 1, 15, 22, and 29 at 4:45pm.

Well-Being in Law Week (May 1-5, 2023)

Thank you for attending Well-Being in Law Week!


Hilo Bench Bar Walk (May 2)


Honolulu Bench Bar Walk (May 3)


Ohana Lacrosse Clinic (May 5)

 

Passage Meditation

Interested in meditation, but haven't found a program that works? Looking for an easy to follow meditation program? We invite you to learn and practice passage meditation with our group of Hawaii lawyers. Contact Jerry Clay ([email protected]) for more information. 

HSBA Well-Being Committee Resources

 

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