Lowenstein Sandler has joined over 200 law firms and other legal employers in committing to the American Bar Association’s Well-Being Pledge & Campaign, an initiative aimed at raising awareness, reducing the stigma, and adopting education programs about mental health and substance abuse issues that disproportionately affect the legal industry. The pledge enhances the firm’s already notable commitment to investing in the health and wellness of every member of the Lowenstein community.
“Lowenstein is continually innovating ways to support our employees’ occupational, physical, and emotional health,” said Chair and Managing Partner Gary M. Wingens. “Our core values embrace a commitment to the personal development of all those under our roof. By joining this industry-wide initiative, we proactively assure everyone who works here that we are committed to providing resources and tools to satisfy all of the elements of well-being.”
Through LSWell, Lowenstein offers many ways for its lawyers and staff to stay healthy, including live and online programs on wellness and emotional health; on-site meditation and yoga classes; an on-site gym; and firm-subsidized health programs including Weight Watchers, flu shots, onsite chiropractic, an annual health fair, and backup child care and eldercare for caretakers. The firm partners with an employee assistance program to provide anonymous counseling, and its health plans cover mental health and substance abuse treatment.
In the fall of 2019, the firm plans to expand LSWell to include: mental health first-aid training for managers and attorneys; partnering with an AI platform to provide cognitive behavioral therapy including screenings, text coaching, video counseling, and other services; information sessions on mental health and wellness for new attorneys; and an incoming speaker program addressing mental health topics. The firm will also create an online resource containing all firm policies, articles, firm and legal industry resources, apps, and links to programs and wellness offerings located on one easily accessible webpage.
“This firm has always been a collegial one, and an individual’s challenges with well-being can easily impact others. Our goal with LSWell is to minimize or mitigate experiences that will negatively impact well-being. By doing so, we are not only assisting our individual employees, we are also better able to provide the best legal services possible to our clients,” said Lowenstein Chief Human Resources Officer Donatella Verrico. “Everyone wins when we proactively focus on peoples’ general wellness for a healthy, happy, and productive work environment.”
The firm has been consistently recognized as a “Best Place to Work” by publications such as Crain’s New York Business and NJBIZ, which note the firm’s wellness initiatives, on- and off-site training, and development opportunities, in addition to work/life balance benefits such as paid time off for community service, telecommuting options, and purposeful mentorship and sponsorship. WomenInc. and Working Mother have listed Lowenstein as a “Best Place to Work” for women, and the firm has earned 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual survey on LGBT workplace equality three times.
