Mexican American Bar Association Wellness Luncheon
Presented by Cody L. Cofer
When: August 27, 2026, 12:00-1:00PM
Location: El Paseo Restaurant
Lawyers spend their careers taking care of other people—their clients, their families, their colleagues, and sometimes even opposing counsel. But we are not always particularly good at taking care of each other, and we can be downright terrible at taking care of ourselves.
I’m looking forward to presenting “Lawyer Wellness: I’m Crazy, Too! Let’s Hang Out — How to Take Care of Each Other and Ourselves.”
This is not a CLE about bubble baths, yoga, or working less. It’s a candid conversation about the realities of practicing law: stress, secondary trauma, perfectionism, substance use, depression, burnout, and the sometimes enormous pressure to keep performing when we are struggling. The statistics are sobering—including research finding that nearly one in six lawyers surveyed had contemplated suicide during their careers.
We’ll also talk about why lawyer wellness is not just a personal issue—it can become an issue of professional responsibility. Competence, diligence, judgment, and knowing when we or a colleague may need help are part of taking our obligations to clients seriously.
Most importantly, I want this CLE to be practical. We’ll discuss how to recognize when another lawyer may be struggling, how to actually start that conversation, and a simple idea I hope everyone takes home: the “eight-minute pact.” Find two or three people you trust and agree that when one of you asks, “Do you have eight minutes?” it means: I’m having a hard time. I don’t necessarily need you to fix it. I just need a friendly voice right now.
Our profession asks a lot of us. Taking care of ourselves and one another doesn’t make us less committed lawyers. It helps us remain competent, deliberate, present, and available for the people who depend on us over the course of a career.
Hope you’ll join us.
TLAP Reminder
The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) provides confidential support to Texas law students, lawyers, judges, and legal professionals facing mental health, substance use, stress, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and other wellness challenges. TLAP offers 24/7 confidential phone support, referrals to therapists, connections with local peers, treatment funding assistance, after-care support, and educational resources. Whether you are struggling yourself or concerned about a colleague, TLAP is a place to start. Call or text 1-800-343-TLAP (8527).
