The Texas Bar Foundation Has Awarded Baylor Law a Grant to Implement Robust Mental Health & Wellness Initiatives

WACO

The Texas Bar Foundation recently awarded Baylor Law a grant of $6,500 to implement comprehensive and consistent mental health and wellness programming at the Law School. With assistance from the Texas Bar Foundation, under the banner of ‘Mind, Body, and Spirit,’ Baylor Law will execute a multi-faceted program to better support the mental health and wellness of its students.

"We know that national data shows that the levels of depression, anxiety, and substance use for law students and lawyers is startlingly high," noted Baylor Professor of Law Bridget Fuselier. "At Baylor Law, we want to undertake serious efforts to bring these issues into the open and have honest conversations with our students. We want to normalize mental health and wellness for our future professionals so that they are equipped to have an ethical and impactful career helping others."

Funding from the Texas Bar Foundation will allow Baylor Law and its Student Wellness Organization to implement impactful and educational presentations and workshops that target students’ overall well-being. Throughout the academic year, there will be panel discussions during each new student orientation, quarterly professional development programming focused on wellness, weekly group workout options, daily activities during the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division and ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs’ Law Student Wellness Week, and observance and celebration of National Mental Health Awareness Month. Baylor Law will also join with mental health advocates, suicide prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members to promote suicide prevention awareness, with particular emphasis on National Suicide Prevention Month each September.

"Baylor Law is grateful for the Texas Bar Foundation’s generous support of our mental health and wellness initiatives," stated Stephen Rispoli, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, adding, "Every law student should feel confident in seeking assistance or availing themselves of the wellness resources that Baylor University, the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program, and the ABA offer. In order to do good, we must be doing well. Taking care of ourselves allows us to serve our families, friends, clients, and community."

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $23 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation's largest charitably funded bar foundation.

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ABOUT BAYLOR LAW 
Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,600 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law is also ranked in the top 50 in the magazine's 2019 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu