Program Description - Dr Debra Austin (2017)
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Program Title: Longevity and Brain Health: How to Empower Cognitive Fitness
Program Description
The brain is the lawyerâs most important asset, and neuroscience research can help us understand
how to empower cognitive fitness during all stages of life. This session will include information
on brain function; stress and other risks to cognitive capacity; and a menu of science-based
recommendations to protect brain health, improve mental strength, and enhance longevity.
Three Reasons Why Attendees Should Choose This Program
1. The lawyerâs most significant asset is the brain, and the brain possesses two superpowers
that support the proposition that it is never too late to improve brain health.
2. The science-based recommendations in this program are linked to the six domains
required for lawyers to thrive that are described in the 2017 American Bar Association
Path to Lawyer Well-being Report, and to Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1:
Competence.
3. This program meets the ABA recommendation to educate stakeholders on lawyer well-
being issues. The Path to Lawyer Well-being Report provides five key action items
designed to improve lawyer well-being, stating that the legal profession must:
1) identify stakeholders and reduce the toxicity in the profession,
2) eliminate the stigma associated with help-seeking behaviors,
3) emphasize that well-being is part of a lawyerâs duty of competence,
4) educate lawyers, judges, and law students on lawyer well-being issues, and
5) take steps to change how law is practiced, instilling greater well-being in the
profession.1
Learning Objectives
Attendees will learn:
ï· How the brain learns, remembers, and develops expertise.
ï· The impact of stress on cognition and brain function.
ï· The relationship between aging, lifestyle, and neurodegeneration.
ï· How mental strength empowers brain health.
ï· Science-based recommendations to protect brain health and enhance longevity.
1
Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.1: Competence at 12, 2271673.pdf; Bree Buchanan, James C. Coyle, Anne Brafford, et. al.,
The Path to Lawyer Well-being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change, The ABA National Task Force on Lawyer Well-being Report,
August 14, 2017, 1, online at https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/images/abanews/ThePathToLawyerWell-beingReportFINAL.pdf.