Meet Debra Austin

Dr. Austin teaches Lawyering Process and Professionalism and Well-being Skills for the Effective Lawyer. She received the University of Denver Distinguished Teaching Award in 2019 and the William T. Driscoll Master Educator Award in 2001. She has a book forthcoming from Cambridge University Press, The Legal Brain: A Lawyer’s Guide to Well-being and Better Job Performance, in June 2024.

Dr. Austin writes and speaks about how neuroscience and psychology research can improve the well-being and performance of law students, lawyers, and other professionals. Her presentations connect well-being to enhanced performance and ethical obligations, and they are accredited for general and ethics CLE in multiple states. Dr. Austin’s scholarship has been ranked in the top 10% of authors on SSRN by all-time downloads every month since August 2017. She is a contributing author on the 2017 ABA National Task Force Report on Lawyer Well-being – The Path to Lawyer Well-being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change. She received the Civility in Practice Award from the Adams Broomfield Bar Association in 2023.