Defining Lawyer Well-Being

Boston University recognizes that there are times when anyone and everyone benefits from focused support. It is understood that people can experience persistent or chronic negative emotions that require additional or unique support. Those who are seeking momentary or extended support may consult the resources below:

• Behavioral Medicine at Student Health Services is the heart of mental health support on campus. SHS is here to support the mental health of people at the University experiencing depression, anxiety, stress (including socio-political), difficulties with sleeping, homesickness/adjustment, alcohol addiction, grief and loss, attentional issues, and more. FREE services offered include consultations, short-term treatment, referrals, a 24/7 mental health crisis hotline, and more. If you’re currently in distress, we recommend contacting the 24/7 mental health emergency hotline at (617) 353-3569.
• SARP is the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center at BU. SARP is a space where sexual assault and other trauma survivors can access assistance, counseling, or referrals to local providers. Like Behavioral Medicine, SARP is part of SHS and is on call 24/7 at (617) 353-7277, with crisis counselors available for urgent calls outside of office hours. SARP can assist you with confidential counseling, learning about your options, and more.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national hotline, much like 911, and provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress.
• Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers is an independent lawyer’s assistance organization exclusively dedicated to helping lawyers and law students respond positively to the many personal and professional issues of life in the legal profession. They provide free, confidential support to law students, with a particular focus on the unique experiences of the legal profession.
• BU Student Wellbeing is a campus-wide initiative to support students’ health and wellbeing during their time at BU. Everyone deserves to feel good and that how students feel matters. Their collective goal — as administrators, faculty, and staff — is to inspire our students to feel fulfilled each day, despite the ups and downs of life on campus. They also serve as an exhaustive repository of resources on campus. 
• The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is a resource to support people with psychiatric disabilities. Please do note that the CPR does not “provide medical treatment… prescribe or deliver medications or therapy.” Rather, they assist people in gaining knowledge through courses to aid them in rehabilitation and recovery.
• The Danielsen Institute is another helpful resource for those seeking mental health support at BU. The Institute is a licensed mental health clinic and helps patients with therapy that is also based in the tradition of Christian pastoral support, engaging spirituality as a healing technique.
• Student Health Services also maintains a guide of “Resources for Well-being” which includes some online resources to help students with a wide range of challenges, including stress and mental health challenges. Resources available include mood trackers, meditation applications, awareness sites, hotlines, offices at the University, and more.

At BU Law, we are incredibly proud of your past academic achievements and we are dedicated to supporting you in maintaining or uplifting your academic success. You can find some of our resources to support you here:

• The Academic Enrichment Program is the center of academic support at BU Law. This program is led by Lisa Freudenheim, Associate Professor and Director of Academic Enrichment. A balance of individual coaching and academic workshops address topics such as exam writing, time management, and work-life balance in a more low-pressure, ungraded space.
• If you are seeking an academic accommodation due to a disability, you can find details on the Disability & Access Services. The contact for arranging accommodations at BU Law is Associate Dean Geraldine Muir. You can find more information on how the University-level request interacts with the Law School on our Disability & Access Services webpage.
• In addition to resources to help you bolster or facilitate your learning, you will find many events in the BU Law community that may stimulate your intellectual curiosities. There are frequent lectures, discussions, networking events, and more right on campus. 
• If you are looking to delve deeper into the academic environment at BU Law, you may also choose to compete in the BU Law Writing competition for a place in one of our six prominent journals! You can also review opportunities to participate in non-BU Writing Competitions through the Fineman & Pappas Law Libraries LibGuide.
• AccessLex maintains a law student writing competition database.  You can search over 800 carefully curated and vetted scholarship opportunities and writing competitions — totaling more than $3 million in aid.
• For some academic advising resources to help you plan out your classes and strategize for academic and professional success, visit the Academic Advising site.

Another key part of well-being is feeling enjoyment in your career. Here at BU Law, we provide many resources to help support you in your professional success. We’ve listed some of them below:

• You’ll have professional resources available to you at BU Law even as a first-year. Through the Faculty Connections Program first-year students are matched with a faculty mentor as an advisor for a year. You can contact Professor Volk with any questions about the Faculty Connections Program at (617) 353-3156.
• For most of your time at BU Law, the Career Development and Public Service Office (CDO) is going to be one of your best resources. The CDO provides “advising [for all students], mock interviews, resume and cover letter review, [and posts job listings] on Symplicity.”[1] The CDO also holds drop-in advising hours and runs many events including panels and lectures on campus. Visit their general website to learn more and find information about first-year mentoring from alumni. And, you can log into the Symplicity interface to view job listings. To contact the CDO about career or alumni mentoring, you can reach out to lawcdo@bu.edu.
• As a student at BU Law, you are also connected to our vibrant and thriving community of alumni outside of first-year mentoring. We maintain a list of where our recent alumni are working, so you can see where you may have or even form connections with other Terriers.
• The Career Advisory Network is also another amazing resource to help you find and connect with alumni. If you have a BU account, you automatically have a profile through which you can search the Career Advisory Network. This is a running database of where some BU alumni (from all schools within the University) work, in what position, in what location, their graduation year, and often what type of mentoring they prefer to provide. You can navigate potential alumni connections by industry, company, graduation year, location, and more on the CAN.
• Additionally, you’ll have many opportunities where employers come to you! At BU Law, we have many opportunities for on-campus interviewing, resume collections, job fairs, and more. Be sure to keep an eye out for these events on campus through our page on recruitment programs, and BU Law calendar (you can find upcoming professional development events by selecting the “Career Development Events” category).
• If you are looking for advice related to a certain career path, you can visit the “Employment Sectors” BU Law webpage to get advice tailored to certain sectors of the law, including guides on how to position yourself to land a job in certain fields.
• Last but definitely not least, the entirety of the “Job Search Resources” page is something of a one-stop-shop with many resources to aid your job search and planning. Resources on this page include links to job databases, lists of where BU Law 1Ls and 2Ls have worked in the past, advice on resumes and cover letters, guides on specific areas of the law, lists of firms, and more.
• BU also recognizes that financial well-being is a very important aspect of supporting one’s professional success. For those seeking funding to help you support your ability to work, you may find funding for public interest summer work and grants for certain jobs.

[1] This description was obtained from the Career Development & Public Service site.

Physical wellness is recognized as a crucial part of holistic well-being. At BU, you’ll have many resources to help you embrace the phrase “sound body, sound mind”.

• The hub of fitness on campus is the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center, also known as FitRec. If you are a full-time student at BU, you can swipe into FitRec using just your BU ID. FitRec offers many services including intramural and club sports, which are open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Additionally, FitRec offers PDPs or classes for recreation or academic credit. Topics covered by PDPs include dance, pilates, yoga, rowing, and more.
• Even if a class isn’t your thing, FitRec is a world-class facility with a large variety of machines, giving you many options to find what you like. In addition to machines, FitRec also houses a juice and smoothie bar, climbing wall, basketball courts, and racquetball and squash courts. If you’re looking for a way to start (or continue) your fitness journey, FitRec might be the place for you.
• However, part of being able to work out effectively is beginning with the right diet to fuel your body. This means getting the good stuff in and keeping the bad stuff out. There are several resources at BU that can help you do this, including the Student Health Services Office of Primary Care and especially the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center. The Sargent Choice Nutrition Center offers nutrition counseling, weight loss aid, allergy nutrition, support against eating disorders, and the SCNC also runs a blog with healthy and nutritious recipe ideas.
• Also dedicated to helping students make healthy consumption choices is the Student Health Services Office of Wellness & Prevention, which oversees addiction prevention and recovery.
• You can also find a well-being Guide made by Student Health Services. This guide offers support organized by topic for concerns related to alcohol and drug consumption, general health, sleep resources, sexual health, and more.
• If you’re looking for a way to way to engage your body and your mind together, you can try Tai Chi, yoga, or meditation. All three are offered by various groups at Marsh Chapel (see the “global” drop down menu on the Marsh Plaza site) and Yoga and Meditation PDPs are offered at FitRec.

Part of holistic well-being is having an engaging and fulfilling social life. During your time at BU Law, you can find many opportunities to get involved in your community and connect with other Terriers.

• As a student at BU Law, you’ll have many opportunities to find social spaces that match with your interests. You can find a guide of student organizations that operate at the law school along with descriptions and contact information for each group. And, if you can’t find one, we’ll support you in creating one! Learn more about how to start a new student group.
• The law school is a thriving and vibrant community with constant opportunities for students to attend various academic and social events. Learn more about events and upcoming conferences and lectures on our online calendar.
• To stay informed about upcoming events organized by BU Law and student groups, also make sure you keep an eye out for the posting boards around the law school in lobbies, outside the Registrar’s office, in McCausland Commons, in recycling areas, and in many other spaces around the law school.
• For information on more events, be sure to keep up with BU Law Student Government‘s weekly emails, posts, and event calendar about what’s going on in the BU Law community.
• BU Law is active on social media. In addition to helping you stay more connected with the law school community, this is another way you can find out about interesting upcoming events! Our Twitter handle is @BU_Law, our Facebook is Boston University School of Law, our Instagram is @BostonUniversitySchoolofLaw, our YouTube is BULawVideo, and you can even connect with us on LinkedIn under Boston University School of Law.

Can I get involved at BU beyond the law school?
Yes! There are many opportunities for law students to get involved in the greater BU community. You can find some of them here.

• The BU Student Activities Office (SAO) oversees all 500+ extracurricular student organizations at BU. You can visit their site to see a list of all of the student groups active at BU and find university-wide and BU Law-based groups that match up with your interests.

There are also several centers that are prominent in student life on campus…

• One center at BU with many opportunities for student engagement is the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. The HTC is a space that encourages students to study, hang out, attend teas, lectures, discussions, forums, and more, with the end goal of helping them learn more about their identity, the identities of others, and the “common ground” they share. You can visit their general site and sign up to join their mailing list at the bottom of their “Programs” page.
• Hillel is a hub for Jewish-focused social life here at BU. Several Jewish life-focused student organizations, events, and programs are run through Hillel, including trips to Israel through Birthright and the David Project, Latkepalooza, and more. Visit their website to learn more about them, their events, and their student groups.
• The BU Catholic Center is, similarly, the center of Catholic life on campus. The BU Catholic Center provides a social space for Catholic students to connect with each other and access community and support. The Center also offers opportunities for missions, service, and more. Visit their website to learn more.
• The Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism is the hub of LGBT+ and activist life on campus. The CGSA houses several student organizations, a lending library, free bagel Fridays, and more. You can learn more about them on their website.
• There are also many other religion-focused and secular student organizations on campus that don’t necessarily have their own centers- all of these groups and more can be found through the SAO guide (linked above).

Spirituality, whether it be religious or secular, can be a crucial part of well-being for many people. There are many opportunities to fulfill your desire for religious or secular spirituality at BU.

• The vast majority of religious life at the University is run through Marsh Chapel. Marsh is an ecumenical chapel based in Methodism, meaning that services often include practices and language common across multiple Christian denominations. There are services and near-daily events at the Chapel, several faculty advisors and campus ministers, several University Chaplains representing multiple Judeo-Christian denominations, and 21 associated religious life groups. Visit their website or get in touch with Marsh’s campus ministers to seek spiritual or pastoral counsel or conversation. (Note: If you can’t make it to Marsh on a particular day, but are interested in taking part in their service, you can also listen live to their Sunday services on WBUR (90.9FM) from 11am-noon! And, on their website, you can find saved recordings of services.)
• While Marsh is based in the Christian tradition, it is also truly a space open to all interested in being involved. Any member of the BU community can attend regular services or programs. Additionally, Marsh hosts secular and multifaith events, and acts as a meeting space for non-Christian religious groups as well. While some may choose to attend weekly services at Marsh based in the Christian tradition, some may choose to stop by for weekly secular meditation or silence practices to help clear your mind. You can find information on weekly meditation and silence on their calendar. Information on some other, non-Christian religious groups at Marsh can be found on the “Global” section of their site.
• Another very prominent center of religious life on campus is Hillel. Hillel is the hub of Jewish life on campus and, similarly to Marsh, holds celebrations of Jewish holidays, runs various programs (including Birthright and the David Project), and is the home to several Jewish-based student organizations that hold weekly services. To get involved and schedule a meeting with a staff member or intern at Hillel to grab coffee, you can reach out to their Engagement Coordinator Arielle (alandau@bu.edu) or visit their website to learn more.
• In addition to Hillel, the Elie Wiesel Center is another way you can get involved with the Jewish community at BU. The Elie Wiesel Center is the heart of Jewish Studies at the University and often hosts lectures related to Jewish culture and more.
• The Catholic Center is a physically smaller, but still incredibly significant, religious space on campus. In addition to Marsh Chapel, the Catholic Center building on Bay State Road is another space where Catholic services, including masses and adoration, are held. The Catholic Center, in addition to providing a space for worship, also has several associated student groups, retreats, bible study, and other activities.
• The Danielsen Institute is a space where individuals in the greater Boston area can access counseling to support their mental health that is based in the tradition of pastoral psychology, supporting patients’ mental and spiritual well-being.
• The premier Muslim student group at the University is the BU Islamic Society. This is a space where you can connect with other Muslim students and access support and community. You can learn more on their website and connect with them on Facebook.
• If you’re looking to get more involved in the Buddhist community on campus, you can check out the Zen Mindfulness Community. They meet weekly in Marsh chapel to practice meditation and can be found on  Facebook.
• The main Hindu student organization at BU is the BU Hindu Students Council. This is a space for students to become more involved in the Hindu community at BU and connect with other Hindu students. Visit their Facebook page to connect and learn more.

If secularism is how you like to engage with spirituality, you still have many options at BU.

• Yoga is a traditionally Hindu meditation practice that is offered in many forms across the Boston area, including more secular forms at the University. If more secular yoga is what you’re looking for, there are a few different places across campus you may go. The Boston University Fitness & Recreation Center (FitRec) is one great option that offers yoga (PDP) classes of various styles and at various skill levels (including beginner). Law students can join yoga PDP classes at FitRec by registering via the Student Link and then filling out a Sports Audit Form. Here you can find a list of upcoming yoga and meditation classes at FitRec.
• If you’re interested in Tai Chi, you can also find that at Marsh. Visit their website to learn more about the program and meeting times.

We’ve listed some widely-used opportunities to engage in the most popular forms of religious and non-religious spirituality here. However, we recognize that there are many different ways that individuals choose to express and engage with spirituality, including less common religions or spiritual practices. Explore a list of all religious student organizations on campus and, if you are still not seeing a spiritual space that you resonate with, you may start your own student group. You may elect to coordinate with an existing spiritual institution at BU for mentorship or affiliation, such as Marsh Chapel.

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Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers

In-person evaluations at SHS