New York Law Journal Quotes Meg Meserole on Akin Gump’s Participation in ABA Pledge on Attorney Well-Being

Meg Meserole, chief human resources officer at Akin Gump, was quoted in the New York Law Journal article “Attorney Well-Being: It’s Not a Fad, It’s a Movement.” The article discusses the pledge campaign organized by the American Bar Association, in which more than 60 legal employers, including Akin Gump, committed to bring about organizational changes that will raise awareness about mental health and substance abuse issues in the legal profession.

According to the article, the pledge signatories have committed to identifying several concrete actions they can take to achieve specific goals in the following areas:

• Providing education to attorneys and staff on well-being, mental health and substance abuse disorders.
• Reducing the expectation of alcohol at firm events.
• Partnering with outside providers who are committed to reducing substance abuse disorders and mental health distress in the profession.
• Providing confidential access to addiction and mental health experts and resources to all employees, including free, in-house self-assessment tools.
• Developing policies and protocols to support assessment and treatment of substance abuse and mental health problems, including a defined back-to-work policy following treatment.
• Using this pledge, and the firm’s commitment to these principles, to attract and retain the best lawyers and staff.

Meserole explained why Akin Gump was an early signatory of the pledge by noting its seven steps “provide a great framework for goal-setting within our existing well-being program and are flexible enough to allow us to tailor programming and communications around our firm’s culture.” She added, “We look forward to seeing the list of member firms continue to grow, and sharing our best practices in support of a healthy and productive legal community.”