Why is Wellness an Ethics Issue? The Impact of Stress and Mental Health on Judges and Public Lawyers

Deadline to Register: May 29th, 2019

The Public Law Section is hosting their Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony and are starting the day with a fantastic CLE program which will consist of two presentations.  

Details:

Date: Friday, May 31, 2019
Time: Registration and breakfast:  8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
           CLE program: 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Midland Hills Country Club
2001 Fulham St
St. Paul, MN 55113

After the CLE, the Public Law Section will hold their Annual Meeting & awards luncheon from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. All members are welcome.
Click here to register for the Annual Meeting & luncheon for $25.

Presentation 1:

Judge Asphaug and Chief Judge Cleary will reprise their recent present ation from the 2019 Minnesota Supreme Court Call to Action for Lawyer Well-Being summit that was held at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Judge Asphaug and Cleary’s presentation will focus on the well-being of public lawyers and major stressors such as high volume caseload and difficult constituents (to name a few) that are specific to public lawyers. In addition, Judge Asphaug and Judge Cleary will introduce a well-being toolkit from the ABA that will seek to provide resources to help each individual and their respective offices take action to create a sustainable culture within the legal profession.

Presentation 1 Presenters: 

Hon. Karen Asphaug | Judge | First Judicial District

Karen Asphaug is a district court judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Appointed in 1995, Judge Asphaug is chambered in Dakota County. Judge Asphaug serves on two specialty courts: the Dakota County Adult Drug Treatment Court and the chief judge of the Supreme Court Appeals Panel. Judge Asphaug served as an international judge with the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo in 2010-2011. Prior to her appointment, Judge Asphaug was an Assistant Dakota County Attorney, with a case load emphasis on domestic violence and sexual assault cases. Judge Asphaug received her B.A. in Scandinavian Language and Literature (really!) from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law.

Hon. Edward Cleary | Chief Judge | Minnesota Court of Appeals

Edward Cleary is the Chief Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Chief Judge Cleary was appointed as Chief Judge on September 18, 2013, after serving as a Judge on the Court of Appeals since November 22, 2011. Prior to being appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, he served as a district court judge in the Second Judicial District. Before being appointed to the bench, Chief Judge Cleary was the Director of the Minnesota Office of Lawyers’ Professional Responsibility and Client Security Board. He also was a private practice attorney and Assistant Public Defender at the Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office. As a public defender, he successfully argued a case before the United States Supreme Court, RAV V. St. Paul 505 U.S. 377 (1992). Chief Judge Cleary received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Presentation 2:

"The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change" is a groundbreaking report released in August 2017 by the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, a coalition of entities from the American Bar Association and throughout the profession. The coalition found that "We are at a crossroads. To maintain public confidence in the profession, to meet the need for innovation in how we deliver legal services, to increase access to justice, and to reduce the level of toxicity that has allowed mental health and substance use disorders to fester among our colleagues, we have to act now." Ultimately, improving attorney well-being is a good business decision, it enhances ethics and professionalism and it enhances lawyer satisfaction and retention. This seminar will focus on "well-being as an indispensable part of a lawyer’s duty of competence." Research shows that lawyers who are dealing with significant stress or mental health (including substance use) issues are more likely to experience ethics problems. By reducing the stigma about well-being and getting help when needed, the incidence of ethical complaints may be reduced.

Presentation 2 Presenter: 

Joan Bibelhausen | Executive Director | Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers

Joan has served as Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers since 2005. She is an attorney and is nationally recognized for her work in the lawyer assistance and diversity and inclusion realms. Joan has significant additional training in the areas of counseling, mental health and addiction, diversity, employment issues and management. She has spent more than two decades working with lawyers, judges and law students who are at a crossroads because of mental illness and addiction concerns as well as well-being, stress and related issues.

Donations to Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL)

As public lawyers, many of us have limited opportunities for pro bono legal work, but we do have opportunities to enrich the communities we serve. In that spirit, the Public Law Section will match donations made at the Annual Meeting to LCL up to a total of $250. Checks will be accepted at the annual meeting.

CLE Credits:

1.5 Standard CLE and 1.0 Ethics credits approved | Event Code: 272227

Cost (CLE ONLY):

Public Law Section Member:  $25.00
MSBA Member not in the section:  $35.00
Non-Member:  $45.00
Law Student: FREE

Join the Public Law Section:  MSBA members who are not members of the Public Law Section can join the section & attend this event for FREE.  Click here to add the section to your membership and then contact Kara Haro to register for this meeting at no charge. 

Remote Participation: 

Remote Participation is not available.

Want more information about the Public Law Section ? 
To register with a check, please mail in this registration form.
Need to cancel? Please see our cancellation policy.
Questions? Contact Kara Haro | 612-278-6329

If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in this event please notify Kara Haro at 612-278-6329 or kharo@mnbar.org.  Please provide notification at least 72 hours prior to the meeting to allow sufficient time to make arrangements for accommodations at this event.