Lawyers’ Mental Health and Tools for Reducing Stress
Register Now and join the NIU College of Law for a free CLE program on Lawyers’ Mental Health and Tools for Reducing Stress. on Friday, March 11 from 12-1 pm presented by NIU Law Professor Laurel Rigertas and sponsored by Law Hesselbaum.
It is no secret that high levels of stress is one of the legal profession’s top mental health challenges. Not all stress is bad and not all stress cannot be eliminated from our jobs, but unmanaged chronic stress can take a toll on both lawyers’ mental health, physical health, and job performance. Lawyers can take steps to help manage and change their relationship with stress.
In this program you will:
- Learn about sources of stress and how stress impacts our minds and bodies;
- Learn about how sleep, exercise and nutrition can help manage stress and strategies for incremental improvement in those areas; and
- Learn habits and behaviors that can be incorporated into your workday to help manage stress.
Registration: Register Now
PMCLE: This course is pending approval for 1 hour professionalism credit, including mental health/substance abuse. Notice will also be sent to all registrants once PMCLE approval is granted.
Presenter
Professor Laurel Rigertas joined the NIU law faculty in 2006. She teaches professional responsibility, torts, advanced torts and a mindfulness course for law students. Professor Rigertas’ research and scholarship focuses on the legal profession, particularly in the areas of ethics, professionalism, the unauthorized practice of law, and access to the legal system. She served as the College of Law’s Interim Dean during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Prior to joining the NIU law faculty in 2006, Professor Rigertas practiced complex commercial litigation as a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Chicago, which she joined in 1999 as an associate. She has litigated cases at the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations. Professor Rigertas began her law career in 1997 at Jenner & Block in Chicago, where she also focused on complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining the NIU law faculty she also taught as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law and Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Professor Rigertas graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1997. There she was a member of the honorary scholastic society, Order of the Coif, and served as articles editor of Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice.
