Assist and Karmen Masson Professional Coach
are pleased to present
GLOOM v. HOPE: Who's Winning?
An honest discussion about the struggles members of the
legal profession are facing, how to manage the ongoing tug-of-war
between the negative and the positive, and how we can move forward together.
Please join us on
Thursday, May 14, 2020
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
To register, e-mail:
program-manager@lawyersassist.ca
LESA and ASSIST are pleased to present
CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERIES
Friday, May 29: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
A Lawyer’s Guide to Effective Networking
Speakers: Ronda Nadelec, zag Creative
Sanjiv Parmar, Parmar Law
Friday, June 5: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
How to Make it Past the First Cut:
What Recruiters and Employers are Looking For
Speaker: Alison Bennett, The Counsel Network
Friday, June 12: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Opening Your Own Shop:
What you Need to Know Before Hanging your Shingle
Speaker: Donna Moore, Law Society of Alberta
To register for one, two or all three seminars: LESA.org/careerwebinars
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Lion pose, resting Cow face pose and
Cobra pose, oh my!!!
Invite your kids to bring all their real and stuffed animals and
JOIN YOUR COLLEAGUES FROM
ACROSS THE PROVINCE
FOR VIRTUAL NOON YOGA
EVERY WEDNESDAY
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
RSVP: program-manager@lawyersassist.ca
Once we get your e-mail, we will send you a Zoom invitation to join the class
ANTI-ANXIE-TEA and
RED MUG COFFEE CIRCLE
Friday, May 8, 2020 - ANTI-ANXIE-TEA
Monday, May 11, 2020 - RED MUG COFFEE CIRCLE
Being together, even virtually, creates connections between all levels of those who are making their way in the legal community. It also helps to provide a little more mentorship and fellowship.
Please join us for online coffee from 12:00 - 1:00 pm on Monday, May 11 — judges, lawyers, articling students and law students are all welcome. Our Executive Director, Loraine will be on the call as well.
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LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE BUSY MAKING OTHER PLANS
This week was the ABA’s Lawyer Well-Being Week, and Assist had planned some group and individual events for Alberta lawyers. We had a fun Red Mug Coffee Circle on Monday as we shared the greeting “May the Fourth Be With You” and strategized about how to support an articling student juggling challenges. It felt good.
Then we learned of the tragic murder-suicide outside of Edmonton on Monday. We will never know what led to this tragedy but there is one inescapable fact—we must keep talking about mental health.
As Assist’s board chair, Sharon Roberts posted:
"This week - Mental Health Week - has been rough in my neck of the woods. Lawyers and others here likely heard or read about the tragic events that unfolded Monday morning near Edmonton. This struck close to home for me, on many levels. I am still trying to make peace with my restless mind and tumultuous feelings; there is no making sense of what happened, no second chance to save those lives lost, the others shattered by them. This is the thing about mental health and wellness - it can be a tricky balance. Every moment of darkness - and I know, in my heart, we all have those moments - we can reach out, seek help, stay connected, or we can get lost in the darkness. Sometimes the choices get muddled in those dark places. And this, friends, is why talking about mental health matters. It matters SO MUCH. In my efforts to "make peace" I've been reaching out to those I care about, to those on whom Monday's events might weigh more heavily as they have on me, and to those vulnerable for other reasons. More than asking "how are you doing?", I've listened. I've cared. And in doing so, I have stayed afloat. I hope I've helped others do so, too. This is my Mental Health Week 2020. How about you?"
Amen, Sharon. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate based on how successful you are, or how together your life seems. And, as Sharon added in comments, “The violence and mental health aspects of this are gutting and demand our attention.” She urged each of us to consider “And speaking up if we feel concerned, including about changes we observe in behaviour and demeanor, our own or others', particularly now in times of great stress. Almost nobody is at their best right now. And, without justifying the violence in any way, I would suggest we have seen close to home just where the darkest places can lead. We owe it to ourselves and each other to engage, be kind, reach out, speak up.”
We would like to extend our condolences to everyone in the legal and accounting community, and their families, who have been impacted by the tragedy on Monday.
We know that this terrible loss will impact our community for a long time to come. Those who knew the family personally may find that they are grieving and may be affected in different ways depending on relationships and personal perspectives. No one has to face this alone.
Some of this may stay with you in ways that can have longer term effects. And sometimes that may not show up for months. Assist makes counselling available on issues that causes stress or distress. Lawyers, articling students, law students and dependent members of their immediate families have access to 4 professional counselling sessions per person, per issue per year, free of charge.
To arrange counselling, please call 1-877-498-6898 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm).
Crisis counselling is available 24/7 at 1-877-498-6898—please follow the prompts and you will be connected to a registered psychologist.
There is nothing we can do or say to change what happened. But if we can help people with their feelings or reactions to this tragedy, we want to do everything that we can. If you have questions or need additional information or assistance, please call me at 1-403-571-1066.
We are re-purposing our Anti-Anxie-Tea on Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm as a forum for us to talk about our responses to the terrible tragedy. May this never happen again.
Loraine
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