Check-In/Breakfast/Networking
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
AABANY Welcome Remarks
9:45 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
Steno, Champion Sponsor – Opening Remarks
9:50 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.
10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Create a Kinder and Gentler Legal Practice when Grounded with Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT/Tapping)
Speaker: Michelle Thompson, J.D., Ph.D., CEO of Resistant Vision Coaching and Consulting, LLC
This interactive workshop will help create a remarkable calm for participants in body, mind, and spirit by using emotional freedom techniques, also known as tapping and EFT. We will:
· Identify what are the stressors in participants’ legal practices;
· Describe what is EFT, how to use it, and why it works; and
· Take time to tap on the stressors in legal practices.
Participants will learn how to incorporate EFT in their practices to address the stress that many in the legal profession face on a daily basis.
10:50 a.m. – 11:50 p.m. Bar None: Rethinking Alcohol in the Legal Profession (CLE Credits Pending)
Speakers: Jaimie Nawaday, Partner, Seward & Kissel LLP
Anden Chow, Partner, MoloLamken LLP
Alcohol has long been embedded in the culture of the legal profession — from unwinding after a tough day in court, to regular happy hours and client dinners, to firm retreats — but that default can unintentionally pressure, or disadvantage lawyers who don’t drink. Whether for health, religious, cultural, or personal reasons, more lawyers are opting out of alcohol, yet find few visible and collegial ways of doing so. That silence leads to missed opportunities for connection, misunderstood boundaries, and, at times, real risk.
This 60-minute CLE, led by a former federal prosecutor and law firm partner, draws from her personal experience (as described in disruptingdrinking.com) navigating the legal profession after choosing to stop drinking — and starting a larger conversation in the process. The session blends storytelling, research, and practical advice to help firms become more inclusive for non-drinkers and rethink the assumption that drinking is part of being a “team player.”
Topics include:
· The hidden barriers alcohol can create for lawyers (especially those from underrepresented backgrounds) who don’t drink.
· Practical strategies for junior lawyers to navigate drinking-heavy spaces, maintain boundaries, and build social capital without alcohol.
· Concrete guidance for senior lawyers and firm leaders on inclusive mentoring, leadership, and de-emphasizing alcohol in networking and firm culture.
· Structural best practices for hosting inclusive events, improving nonalcoholic offerings, and modeling well-being from the top down.
11:50 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:35 p.m. – 1:35 p.m. Managing Stress: Maintaining Wellness
Speaker: Theresa T. Nguyen, MD, MS, FAAP
Content: Learn and practice mind-body-spirit techniques to enhance stress management and improve your overall wellbeing throughout the work day.
1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. Building Positive Habits: Practical Tips to Sustain a Long, Healthy Career in Law (CLE Credits Pending)
Speakers: Gavin Alexander, Well-Being Director, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Tanya A. Bovée, Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Join Jackson Lewis Principal Tanya Bovée and Well-Being Director Gavin Alexander for a fireside chat highlighting lived experiences of genuine challenge and mental illness in legal practice, and discussing tips and tools these attorneys have learned and observed throughout their careers that can have a significantly positive impact on well-being. Learn real-world tips to start off or refine your legal practice to make it more rewarding, meaningful, and sustainable.
2:45 p.m. – 3:35 p.m. But You Don’t Look Depressed (CLE Credits Pending)
Speakers: Vivia Chen, Opinion Writer, The Ex-Careerist, Substack
Karen Kim, Senior Counsel, QBE North America
Award-winning journalist (and ex-lawyer), Vivia Chen, will share her personal struggle with mental health, what happened when she went public and the stigma around depression in the legal profession. She will also share her challenges in getting short-term disability and finding the right therapist.
3:35 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. Cultivate Mental Resilience to Thrive Amid Uncertainty
Speakers: Pema Sherpa, Co-Author of the Daily Buddhist, Speaker & Mindfulness Researcher
Benjamin C. Hsing, Partner, Venable LLP
Discover how resilience can be strengthened through simple yet powerful mind training practices. This session explores how meditation, compassion, and key mental shifts can help you navigate stress, overcome emotional challenges, and thrive in both work and life.
4:35 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The Daily Buddhist Book Signing with Co-Authors, Pema Sherpa and Brendan Barca
5:00 p.m. – 5:05 p.m. AABANY Closing Remarks
5:05 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Networking (Optional)
EOD Swag: Complimentary Copy of The Daily Buddhist (for up to 50 attendees)