Lawyer Assistance Program, State Bar of Georgia. (Courtesy photo)

Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended society, legal professionals had organized a first-ever Lawyer Well-Being Week to address the stresses and vulnerabilities faced by attorneys. The event was last week, but podcasts in which Georgia lawyers, counselors and a judge are available online.

Miles Mediation & Arbitration has posted a discussion among Kristy Weathers, Eversheds Sutherland's professional development partner; Stacey Dougan, a former Big Law partner who is now a mental health therapist; Denise Gaskin, a consultant for law firms on financial and lawyer well-being; and Marcie Dickson, Miles' chief marketing officer.

Dougan said clients are exhausted from the myriad challenges of the pandemic, but they were also suffering from self-induced "judgments about our judgments," such as when people criticize themselves for being stressed during this situation.

"We need to let us off the hook," she advised.

The Attorney Wellness Committee and the Lawyer Assistance Program of the State Bar of Georgia have collaborated to launch a new podcast series, "Lawyers Living Well."

In the podcast's first episode, Lynn Garson of BakerHostetler, who chairs the Lawyer Assistance Program, shared her personal experiences with mental health challenges and how she is handling the pandemic. She emphasized the importance of asking for help, specifically, rather than hoping someone else will notice that a person is struggling. "There's no shame" in asking for help, she said.

Judge Ken Hodges of the Court of Appeals of Georgia gave his view of working from home, while George Martin, the president of the company that administers the bar's free Lawyer Assistance Program, talked about resilience. He emphasized that the bar provides a confidential service that provides six prepaid clinical sessions each year to help bar members.