Seeking Safe Places in Uncertain Times: The Psychological Implications of the Practice and Profession of Law as a Full-Contact Sport (Presented by the Federal Bar Association Diversity & Inclusion Committee (Mental Health Awareness))

Katherine Earle Yanes | Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A.

Katherine Earle Yanes concentrates her practice in the areas of criminal defense, appeals, and postconviction relief. In 1997, she graduated from Stetson University College of Law, magna cum laude, as valedictorian of her class. Following law school, Ms. Yanes served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Since 1999, she has successfully represented defendants at the trial, appellate, and postconviction phases of criminal litigation in federal and state courts, as well as in government investigations. Ms. Yanes has served as President of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, President of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Trial and Litigation Section, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section, and Journal Editor of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Katherine Earle Yanes was awarded the 2021 Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers’ President’s Award in appreciation of outstanding service to HAWL. Ms. Yanes was also awarded the 2017 Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit for her outstanding pro bono service and the 2017 Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers Pro Bono Award. She was also awarded the 2017 Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award for excellence and integrity in her field by The Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division.

Additionally, in 2015, the Hillsborough County Bar Association Criminal Law Section awarded Ms. Yanes the Marcelino “Bubba” Huerta Award for pro bono service and the pursuit of equal justice, and the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association recognized Ms. Yanes as Mentor of the Year. In 2010, Ms. Yanes was given the President’s Award by the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers for her outstanding service to the organization.

Vikram Kapoor | United Nations

Vik Kapoor is a consultant for the United Nations where he does Ombuds casework for UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA and UNOPS. He previously built a peer conflict coaching program – the Respectful Workplace Facilitators – for the UN in over 40 countries during the pandemic. Vik has also been an Ombuds for FEMA (incidentally sitting in the Chief Counsel’s Office) and the US Department of Interior components, including for its Solicitor’s Office and its Inspector General.

Vik began his legal career as a class action litigator on the plaintiff’s side, and later taught ADR as an adjunct professor for a few years. He was a member of the Council of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution for five years and a member of the International Ombudsman Association’s Professional Practices Committee for eight years, as well as a leader in Mediators Beyond Borders.

Vik is also a certified coach and an author of a self-coaching book for young leaders that won a national book award and became a bestseller. He has a JD from Georgetown and has studied trauma recovery with folks at Harvard and applied positive psychology with folks from Penn. He (generally) roams around with a very understanding wife and a perpetually happy toddler.

Judi Cohen | Berkeley Law

Judi Cohen (she/her) is an attorney, law professor, and 35-year student of mindfulness and yoga, authorized to teach in the Insight Meditation tradition. She is a lecturer at Berkeley Law where she teaches Mindfulness for the Legal Mind, a course that explores mindfulness tools for personal wellbeing and to create a more just, equitable society.

Judi is also the founder of Warrior One, which offers mindfulness programs and trainings for legal professionals. She is a founding board member, past board co-president, and current Teachers Collective co-chair of the Mindfulness in Law Society, and also co-facilitates Yes World’s Law and Social Change Jam, an annual gathering of legal professionals exploring personal, interpersonal, and systemic change. Judi lives in Sonoma, California.

Ritzy Ettinger | University of Florida Levin College of Law

Ritzy Luque Ettinger (she/her) is an educator and licensed mental health counselor. She currently serves as the mental health counselor at UF Law as well as being an adjunct professor for the College of Education where she teaches about preventing mental health stigma.

In addition, Ms. Ettinger was a founding member of SOCIAL Gators (a program designed to support students on the spectrum) at UF. . As a faculty member for the college of education Ritzy’s research and focus was on impact or parent involvement on school behavior. Prior to joining UF Law Ritzy was a faculty member of the UF Counseling and Wellness center where she specialized in working with some of the most distressed students that came to the CWC. More often than not she worked with very high-risk clients that needed immediate and complex interventions.

As the counselor at UF Law she has a tremendous capacity for sitting with client distress, helping people feel heard, and instilling hope in a genuine and meaningful way.

Her interest and areas of focus include depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, using somatics for stress reduction, and ADHD.

I. Understanding the psychological landscape of legal practice | 1:00pm – 1:20pm

• Stressors unique to the legal profession
• Data and studies on lawyer mental health
• The “full-contact sport” analogy: What it means and why it matters

II. The cost of doing business: Burnout, vicarious trauma, and chronic stress | 1:20pm – 1:35pm

• Common mental health risks and symptoms
• Real-life examples and case studies
• Recognizing the personal and professional consequences

III. Seeking safe places: Strategies for self-care and institutional change | 1:35pm – 1:50pm

• Evidence-based coping techniques and resilience practices
• The role of workplaces in promoting psychological safety
• Peer support, mentorship, and creating a wellness culture

IV. Interactive q&a and call to action | 1:50pm – 2:00pm

• Open discussion with attendees
• Resources and commitments for moving forward