The Ethics of Burnout
You've seen it in your colleagues, and maybe in yourself: the missed detail, the unanswered email, the short fuse at 6 p.m. Nearly half of lawyers now report high or very high burnout. That isn't only a wellness problem. When chronic stress impairs the brain functions legal work depends on, it becomes a competence problem, a diligence problem, and a supervisory problem.
Burnout is an ethics issue. Earn CLE credit on why.
Only $95 for 1.0 hour of ethics credit (up to 1.2 in Colorado), on demand.
Inside The Ethics of Burnout
A 62-minute continuing legal education (CLE) program on what chronic stress does to the brain, and what that means under the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
Most programs on lawyer well-being tell you stress is a problem, suggest you meditate or sleep more, and send everyone back to the same conditions that burned them out. This one takes a different approach. It treats burnout as what the science says it is, a predictable biological response to chronic workplace stressors, and then asks what that means for individual lawyers and for the partners, managers, and supervisors who design the places where lawyers work.
What you'll learn
How the stress response works, and how chronic stress affects the parts of the brain that legal work depends on.
How those effects connect to the duties of competence (Rule 1.1), diligence and communication (Rules 1.3 and 1.4), and mandatory withdrawal (Rule 1.16(a)(2)).
How the supervisory duties in Rule 5.1, and the reporting duty in Rule 8.3, apply to burnout and impairment inside a firm or legal department.
Whether the way legal work is structured, including billable hour expectations, creates foreseeable ethical risk, and what reasonable measures look like.
What the Rules do, and do not, require, with practical steps for individual lawyers, colleagues, supervisors, firm leaders, and solo practitioners.
Available 24/7, no scheduling required.
Start, pause, and pick up where you left off. Earn credit whenever it suits you.
What's included
A 62-minute on-demand video
All written materials you need to self-report credit in your state
A certificate of completion
Who it's for: lawyers at every level, including associates, partners, in-house and government lawyers, solo practitioners, and legal managers.
CLE Credit
This program is currently approved for continuing legal education credits in the following states.
California: accreditation pending
Colorado: accreditation pending
Illinois: accreditation pending
New York: Experienced attorneys may claim 1.0 credit in Ethics and Professionalism under New York's approved-jurisdiction policy. Newly admitted New York attorneys are not eligible.
Texas: 1.0 hour, including 1.0 hour of Ethics (Course No. 174341313). Credit available for completion December 1, 2026 through November 30, 2027.
Credit rules vary by state. Before you buy, check your state's requirements to confirm whether this program qualifies.
Financial Hardship Policy: Illinois attorneys facing financial hardship may request a full or partial fee waiver at support@helenodom.com.