The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Preview No. 1, Season 4 -- What's To Come This Season
What toll does the relentless pursuit of billable hours and client demands take on attorneys' lives? The Grace Period tackles this question head-on as we prepare for an impactful fourth season premiering May 13th.
I'm Emily Logan Stedman, and I've created this space to have honest conversations about the unique challenges facing attorneys today. The legal profession demands excellence, but too often, that excellence comes at the cost of our mental health, personal relationships, and quality of life. Through candid discussions and practical strategies, we'll explore how to create a sustainable legal career that honors both professional ambition and personal wellbeing.
Season four promises to deliver valuable insights on navigating difficult opposing counsel, making the most of your summer associate experience, implementing generative AI in legal practice, and taking necessary breaks when burnout looms. We'll also dive into my experience of female partnership in 2025, handling inevitable mistakes, overcoming imposter syndrome, and much more. Each episode aims to provide meaningful strategies (in bite-sized episodes) that help attorneys not just survive but thrive in their careers.
The Grace Period stands as more than just a podcast—it's a movement to destigmatize mental health in our profession and acknowledge our shared humanity alongside those billable targets. By prioritizing self-care, setting reasonable boundaries, and building supportive professional relationships, lawyers can discover their own "grace period"—those instances of peace, presence, and perspective that sustain us through challenging times. Join me in uplifting attorney wellbeing and transforming legal culture, one conversation at a time. Subscribe now to ensure you don't miss our season premiere on May 13th.
Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.
Welcome to the Grace Period. Here we'll explore the realities of big law and shine a light on attorney mental health and well-being. I'm your host, emily Logan Steadman. In the high-pressure legal world, it's all too easy for attorneys to become consumed by the demands of the jobs, client needs and the hustle for billable hours, but at what cost? The cost to our mental health, the cost to our personal relationships and the cost to our overall quality of life. On the Grace Period we'll have honest dialogue about striking a better balance between professional excellence and ambition and personal fulfillment. We'll talk candidly about the unique stresses of private practice, share stories from those who've been there and discuss practical strategies for not just surviving but thriving and creating a more sustainable career. The law demands a lot of us, but it doesn't have to leave us drained or disillusioned. With the right mindsets, habits, disillusioned. With the right mindset, habits and support system, we can find our grace period moments of peace, presence and perspective that make it all worthwhile.
Speaker 1:This will be season four of the grace period. This season I plan to share about navigating difficult opposing counsel and pro se litigants, what to do as a summer associate and what not to do, being an adult and an attorney at the same time. I have two episodes headed your way about generative AI, something I love and am obsessed with. I'll talk about walking away and taking time off. I'll share a reflection on being a female partner in 2025. I'll talk about what to do when you make a mistake, not if and share about imposter syndrome, my best practices memo and more. I hope you'll join me this season on the grace period as we uplift attorney well-being and destigmatize mental health in our profession. It is time to speak up, get real and prioritize our shared humanity alongside those billable hours.
Speaker 1:Season four will premiere on Tuesday, may 13th. Thank you for joining me on the Grace Period. I hope you will find insights here about how to build a sustainable career. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your well-being for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Everything said here is my own opinion, not my firm's. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.
