You are watching a webinar preview. To view the full webinar, log in to your Justia Connect account or sign up for free.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) & Ethical Well-Being: Tools for a Healthier, More Grounded Legal Practice

Is the chase for billable hours creating extreme exhaustion, headaches, digestive issues, and feeling constantly numb or on edge? Are you sure that there has to be another way to practice law? This course will explore the innovative, and some might say rather unconventional, application of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to the demanding world of legal ethics and professional well-being so you can practice law differently.

In this session, we will delve into how simple tapping exercises can be used to navigate the massive demands of your legal career. Learn to address issues such as vicarious trauma, client conflict, and the ever-present stress of a deadline-driven practice. We’ll also explore the intersection of these techniques with the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, because ethical obligations can be paired with self-care.

By the end of this hour, you will gain a powerful tool for a healthier, more grounded approach to your work. Because a less-stressed lawyer is a more productive lawyer.

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: November 21, 2025 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction

Dr. Michelle D. Thompson, a business coach for women lawyers, is introduced as the speaker, focusing on emotional freedom techniques (EFT) to combat burnout. Michelle shares a case study of a lawyer who used EFT to manage stress and improve her work situation, emphasizing the importance of not being in a fight-or-flight state.

05:57 Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Legal Ethics

Michelle discusses the importance of managing stress for lawyers to maintain ethical practice and competence. She explains how EFT can help lawyers overcome feelings of imposter syndrome and procrastination and improve mental clarity. Examples of ethical duties such as competence, diligence, and communication are provided, illustrating how EFT can aid in fulfilling these responsibilities.

15:24 Understanding and Applying EFT

EFT, also known as tapping, is explained as a technique to lower cortisol levels and manage stress. Michelle describes how tapping on specific points can alleviate stress-related symptoms and shift unhelpful beliefs. She shares a historical perspective on cortisol's role in stress response and its impact on health when levels remain elevated.

21:40 Benefits of EFT

Research supporting EFT's effectiveness in reducing psychological distress is highlighted, including a study from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. Michelle references resources like Peta Stapleton's book and other literature on EFT's benefits for mental health. The process of tapping is described, including specific points and affirmations used during the practice.

27:09 EFT Exercises

Michelle leads practical EFT exercises, demonstrating how tapping can reduce physical tension and stress. She explains the connection between cortisol buildup and physical tightness, and how tapping can alleviate this. She notes that these exercises can even help people deal with addictions and similarly harmful behaviors.

39:37 Implementing EFT in Legal Practice

Michelle discusses the ethical implications of chronic stress and how EFT can help lawyers maintain competence and avoid risky behaviors. She highlights EFT's effectiveness in managing anxiety and trauma, comparing it to traditional stress management methods. She encourages using EFT to establish boundaries and improve focus, offering a practice stress strategy session for further guidance. The importance of integrating EFT into daily practice for stress reduction and maintaining ethical standards is emphasized.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speaker

Dr. Michelle Dionne Thompson, Esq. Business Coach
Resistant Vision Coaching & Consulting

Michelle Thompson is a business coach who works with women lawyers who are working 70 - 90 hours per week and are exhausted, frustrated, and near burnout to grow their practices and increase billables without sacrificing their health and time with their friends and families. Read More ›

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

*CLE credit is only available to Justia Connect Pros. Not a Pro? Upgrade today>>

California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Wellness Competence

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

New Jersey CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.20 Ethics/Professionalism

Earn Credit Until: November 20, 2026

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Professional Well-Being

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Earn Credit Until: October 31, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of Wellness Competence CLE credit in California, and one hour of Professional Well-Being CLE credit in North Carolina. This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.20 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 1.20 qualify as total hours of credit for Ethics/Professionalism. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours, of which 1.00 credit hours will apply to Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit.

Justia only reports attendance in jurisdictions in which a particular Justia CLE Webinar is officially accredited. Lawyers may need to self-submit their certificates for CLE credit in jurisdictions not listed above.

Note that CLE credit, including partial credit, cannot be earned outside of the relevant accreditation period. To earn credit for a course, a lawyer must watch the entire course within the relevant accreditation period. Lawyers who have viewed a presentation multiple times may not be able to claim credit in their jurisdiction more than once. Justia reserves the right, at its discretion, to grant an attendee partial or no credit, in accordance with viewing duration and other methods of verifying course completion.

At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

Looking for CLE credit? Visit CLE Dashboard