Rutgers Law

601.645 WELLNESS FOR LAWYERS (P2)

Buza

This class will examine the emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions of wellness, the interconnectedness of each, and how they contribute to healthy living. The professor uses a holistic model to help law students and lawyers integrate all areas of well-being into their lives. Research shows that lawyers and law students suffer from greater rates of depression and anxiety, career dissatisfaction, and have higher propensities for substance abuse and suicide than other professions. We will analyze how students can avoid these risks, improve their own individual well-being, and learn how to carry productive wellness behaviors into their practice of law beyond law school. We will also look at the collective health of the profession, and how we can improve it with education, mindfulness training and interventions, identify the issues of wellness in various groups, including multicultural competency and social justice. We will examine the current research from bar associations and other organizations as well as from individual pioneers in this field and will have the opportunity to hear directly from guest experts in lawyer well-being. In this pass/fail course, students will have interesting and varied readings, writing requirements (including personal reflections), group activities, and extensive class participation. In so doing, students will expand their knowledge and develop skills/tools for a more healthy and satisfactory career in the law.