August 3, 2023 - Mental Health

*FREE LIVE FOR IMLA MEMBERS! CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern

Mental Health: Maintaining Wellbeing While Negotiating Conflicting Interests

How do municipal lawyers manage their mental health and maintain their wellbeing, while balancing their responsibilities? This program will discuss the challenges of managing mental wellbeing while maintaining ethical responsibilities in the unique position that many municipal attorneys need to navigate on a daily basis. We will explore practical techniques for setting boundaries without compromising career growth, mindfulness practices to reduce stress, enhancing decision-making and communication for improved inclusion, and leveraging benefits to enhance overall wellbeing.

Speaker: Diane O'Connell 

Diane O'Connell While working as an attorney in a demanding global M&A leadership position, Diane burned out and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This led to her leaving the practice of law to pursue making workplaces healthier.

By blending her skills as an attorney, mediator, speaker and wellbeing reinvention strategist, Diane has a unique awareness of cultural and business interests to help organizations and their talent overcome obstacles so they can reinvent their workplace culture to one of wellbeing through well planned and negotiated benefits, transparent communication and creating an environment of belonging resulting in higher productivity and lower attrition rates, ie. more profit.

Diane is a member of the InsideOut and Stability Network Leaderboards, New York State Bar Association Co-Chair of the Int’l Section’s DEI Committee, the Lawyer’s Wellbeing Task Force, and the Lawyers Assistance Program.

Diane has been a licensed attorney for 18 years, with practice focus on int’l corporate negotiations, procurement, risk management and employment law as well as a being a mediator before pivoting to creating wellbeing programs that work.