Book
Professor Austin is writing a book that addresses the lawyer well-being crisis by summarizing the studies that demonstrate that law students and lawyers suffer from high rates of anxiety, depression, burnout, substance misuse, and suicide risk; explaining relevant parts of the brain, and how stress impacts lawyer brain function; reviewing the neuroscience and psychology research that links brain health and mental strength to well-being; and providing an action plan for lawyers to enhance their well-being, optimize their performance, and improve their brain health and mental strength.
The Introduction and Chapter 1 are available for download below.
The Legal Brain: A Lawyer’s Guide to Well-being and Better Job Performance
(forthcoming from Cambridge University Press)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Impaired Lawyer
Chapter 2: The Spectrum from Languishing to Flourishing
Chapter 3: The Lawyering Culture
Chapter 4: The Lawyer Brain
Chapter 5: Memory, Knowledge, and Skill Acquisition
Chapter 6: Motivation, Reward, and Habit Learning
Chapter 7: The Impact of Stress
Chapter 8: The Influence of Self-Medication
Chapter 9: The Importance of Fuel
Chapter 10: Optimizing Brain Health
Chapter 11: Building Mental Strength
Chapter 12: Developing an Action Plan
Conclusion
Resources
Notes