Erin highlights the unique challenges attorneys face, including long hours and high-pressure decisions, and presents practical steps to help them thrive in both their personal and professional lives.

“Just as physical spaces may be neglected and become entangled with the messiness of life during the coldest months, so does the space within our mind, body, and spirit.”
-Erin Clifford

Here are the six well-being strategies Erin outlines in her ABA article:

1. Clear Space Within – Erin emphasizes the importance of releasing negative emotions that can cloud the mind and body. Through reflection and creating a “burn” list, she encourages lawyers to let go of what is holding them back mentally.
2. Clear External Spaces – Clutter can be overwhelming, so Erin suggests decluttering physical environments to improve mental clarity. She provides a simple step-by-step approach to tidying up, which can help boost both mental and physical health.
3. Clear Your Mind – Erin stresses the benefits of maintaining a clear mind through mindfulness practices like meditation, gratitude, digital detoxes, and regular exercise. These activities can help reduce anxiety and increase creative thinking.
4. Take Time for Self-Care – Self-care is essential for well-being, and Erin encourages attorneys to find activities, big or small, that bring them joy. She notes that consistent self-care can help reduce anxiety, improve concentration, and increase happiness.
5. Connect – Staying connected with loved ones is crucial. Erin reminds lawyers to nurture their relationships, whether through a text, a coffee date, or a weekend meet-up, to boost feelings of belonging and well-being.
6. Give Yourself Grace – Finally, Erin urges attorneys to practice self-compassion. By recognizing and honoring personal limits, they can reduce stress and cultivate a more positive mindset.

“Giving yourself grace means acknowledging when things are hard and understanding that we may not have a solution. When we recognize, accept, and honor our limits, we will reduce feelings of anger, stress, regret, or resentment.”

Erin’s article serves as a valuable reminder for legal professionals to prioritize their well-being, not just during springtime but year-round. With these strategies, attorneys can step into a new season feeling refreshed, focused, and ready to take on the demands of their profession with renewed energy.

Read the full Litigation News article here. To learn more about Erin Clifford and her work in legal wellness, visit her Erin Clifford Wellness and Healthy Lawyers websites.

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As a corporate wellness coach, consultant, and partner at Clifford Law Offices, Erin has a deep understanding of the unique challenges lawyers face in maintaining a balanced lifestyle within the legal profession. She is passionate about educating and empowering professionals with wellness tools and solutions that produce real and lasting results.

Her topic provided education on real solutions that lawyers can implement to sustain their physical and mental well-being during busy work periods such as during trial, while traveling, or navigating long hours and intensive deadlines. Lawyers further learned how to create flexible boundaries and how to manage burnout in a healthy manner.

Erin Clifford J.D., M.A., is a certified Holistic Health Coach holding a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern and is a National Certified Counselor. She is working on her first wellness book this year.

Erin Clifford addresses law professionals in her program “Real Solutions for Lawyers to Thrive Even During Stressful Times.”

Erin Clifford, partner at Clifford Law Offices and Corporate Wellness Consultant at Erin Clifford Wellness, presented at the American Bar Association’s annual CLE in the City Program.

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Clifford Law Offices will be sponsoring a free Continuing Legal Education (CLE) webinar for lawyer well-being led by Erin Clifford, partner at Clifford Law Offices and corporate wellness consultant and coach. Clifford will present the free one-hour continuing legal education webinar, “Working Wellness: Healthy Solutions for Lawyer Well-Being” on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 3:00 pm CDT.

“Working Wellness: Healthy Solutions for Lawyer Well-Being” addresses critical issues in the legal profession – recognizing and addressing mental health and wellness issues that commonly arise among lawyers and other legal professionals, stemming from stress, work exhaustion, and an imbalanced lifestyle. Erin’s program empowers lawyers with sustainable strategies to improve work-life balance and learn skills to set clear personal and professional boundaries to help manage stress. Lawyers in attendance will be provided with a developed framework to incorporate self-care into their daily routines more easily.

Erin speaks often on a number of wellness topics including nutrition, stress management, and healthy lifestyle management. Her expertise in wellness has earned her media attention from publications such as Shape Magazine, US News and World Report, Prevention Magazine, and Better Magazine. In 2024, Erin joined the American Bar Association Litigation News Board as its Attorney Health & Wellness columnist to continue providing advice, information, and perspective to legal professionals across the country. She holds a J.D. as well as a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University.

The free continuing legal education program has been approved for 1 hour of Professional Responsibility credit in Illinois, 1 hour of Ethics credit in Iowa, 1.2 hours of Ethics credit in Missouri, and 1 hour of Attorney Professional Conduct credit in Ohio. CLE credit is only available to those who attend the webinar during its live broadcast on June 13, 2024 at 3:00-4:00 p.m. CDT. Those who view the recorded version of the webinar will not be eligible for CLE credit.

To learn more about Clifford Law Offices’ free online CLE program or to register now, click here.

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Erin holds her J.D. and is a National Certified Counselor with a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. In this role, she brings her expertise in health and well-being and her passion for helping lawyers develop happier, healthier lifestyles. As part of the legal community, Erin personally understands how important a healthy lifestyle is in such a demanding and stressful profession.

“I strive to provide lawyers with realistic, sustainable strategies that can be easily implemented in their busy lives to create lasting benefits for their mental health and relationships while building a fulfilling career.”
-Erin Clifford

Join Erin on Thursday, June 13, 2024, as she leads a free one-hour continuing legal education (CLE) webinar for lawyer well-being titled, “Working Wellness: Healthy Solutions for Lawyer Well-Being.” Sponsored by Clifford Law Offices, the free program offers CLE credit to attorneys and legal professionals across four states.

The post Erin Clifford Joins ABA Litigation News Board as Health and Wellness Columnist appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Erin’s presentation topic was self-care strategies for busy lawyers and offered a half-hour credit for mental health/substance abuse. Other topics covered during the three-hour program included ethical considerations behind attorney advertising and dealing with co-counsel.

A partner at the firm, Erin is also a Corporate Wellness Consultant and National Certified Counselor holding a master’s degree from Northwestern University in Mental Health Counseling with Academic Distinction.

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The summit, titled Secrets to Self-Advocacy: Negotiating Compensation and Prioritizing Balance to Achieve Career Success, addressed how women lawyers can advocate for themselves as they negotiate compensation and set boundaries to prioritize well-being. Attendees benefitted from networking opportunities, wellness activities, and interactive sessions constructed of substantive programming on pay equity, transparency, and compensation, as well as gender-specific attrition and well-being trends.

Erin gave two presentations on Attrition and Well-being Trends for Women Lawyers and Strategies for Prioritizing Balance and Well-being in Your Legal Career.

As a Corporate Wellness Consultant and Coach with a background in law, Erin is uniquely positioned to provide expert health and wellness support to lawyers. She is passionate about empowering professionals how to develop healthy lifestyles to gain a more fulfilling, productive, and happier existence, both professionally and personally. Erin coaches her clients to address all the factors in their daily lives, including physical activity, stress management, mindfulness, nutrition, sleep, relationships, and careers.

Erin Clifford holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern and is a National Certified Counselor. She is working on her first wellness book this year.

To read an overview about the summit, click here.

The post Erin Clifford Spoke at Chicago Bar Association’s Annual Women’s History Month Summit appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

The program will be conducted virtually at the CLG’s Lunch and Learn at noon. The one-hour program available for general CLE credit will focus on lawyers’ boosting their mental well-being through creating more flexible routines and weaving in support through exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, spirituality, and building connections.

Click here to register for the program.

Erin Clifford is a certified holistic wellness coach and serves as a corporate and law firm wellness consultant. She holds a law degree from DePaul Law School and a master’s degree from Northwestern University.

To learn more about Clifford’s wellness activities, go to https://erincliffordwellness.com/

The post Erin Clifford to Speak on Mental Well-Being at Catholic Lawyers Guild appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

Erin’s presentation, #EndtheStigma: Breaking Down Barriers Standing in the Way of Self-Care Stigma, discussed how stress, anxiety, and burnout limit attorneys’ ability to find relief in workplace culture. The roundtable discussion was intended to prompt attorneys to consider how individuals and organizations can reduce the stigma associated with seeking help and brainstorm ideas about how we can support one another through difficult times and effect meaningful change.

The conference celebrated women in litigation and throughout the legal profession, highlighting the advances and achievements women have made in law, and reflecting on the challenges and obstacles women lawyers continue to face in the profession.

Erin’s background in law, paired with her expertise in mental health and holistic wellness, provides her with a unique perspective into the personal challenges lawyers face on a day-to-day basis.

Clifford Law Offices was a silver sponsor of the event and is proud to promote the achievement of women litigators and be a voice for improving the scope of practice and well-being of all attorneys.

To learn more about the conference, click here.

The post Erin Clifford Spoke at 2023 Women in Litigation Joint CLE Conference appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

While Erin has trained with some of the world’s leading experts in nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle management, legal professionals are particularly drawn to her wellness programs because her training is coupled with expertise in education, business, law, and mental health. As a partner at Clifford Law Offices, she personally understands the stressors that accompany a high-demanding job and brings this sensitivity and awareness to her programs.

She has appeared numerous times on WTTW, and her expertise in wellness has earned her media attention from publications such as Shape Magazine, US News and World Report, Prevention Magazine, and Better Magazine. Earlier this year, Erin authored an article for the American Bar Association detailing the importance of boundaries for lawyers across all areas of life – including sleep and social boundaries – to improve organization, focus, and communication.

Erin holds a J.D., an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University, and is a National Certified Counselor. In addition to her development work at Clifford Law Offices and legal background, Erin works with families, professionals, and corporations in creating and maintaining healthy lifestyles through nutrition, life, and wellness coaching. Her master’s degree in mental health counseling was earned at the Family Institute at Northwestern University which is dedicated to developing well-qualified, compassionate clinicians. Erin built her knowledge exploring licensure-required topics such as ethics, multiculturalism, advocacy, outreach, life span development, and evidence-based practice including hands-on learning during the two-year program. Erin has incorporated many counseling approaches to psychodynamic theory and application that she studied in her training into her work and in her programs including conscious and unconscious forces.

To access and watch the complete recording of the program, click here. CLE credit is only available for attendees of the live program.

The post Clifford Law Offices Wellness CLE Attended by Thousands of Lawyers appeared first on Clifford Law Offices.

The legal profession has seen an uptick in business travel lately and many lawyers struggle to maintain their wellness routines on business trips which can take a mental and physical toll.

Erin personally understands the demands that come with business travel and has come up with a set of healthy travel tips that are designed to help traveling lawyers maintain nutrition and self-care habits for a successful trip.

Read Erin’s wellness tips for legal business travel here.

Erin Clifford is a Member of the ABA Mental Health & Wellness Task Force, offering her expertise on health and wellness to lawyers and law students. She is the founder of Erin Clifford Wellness and is dedicated to empowering professionals to create healthy lifestyles that produce real and last results.

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