The Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) 2025 annual meeting is scheduled for July 26-Aug. 2 at the Omni Resort in Amelia Island, Florida.I am committed to conjure up ideas for business law panels and discussion groups at the conference. But before I approach that task, I want to follow up on Haskell's recent post, SEALS Conference Reflection — Mind, Soul, and Body?, from August 28th.
In that post, Haskell made the following observations:
Traditionally, legal academics do an excellent job sharpening the mind. “Think like a lawyer” is a phrase even my colleagues across campus know. The soul gets much less attention at most schools, but that seems to be changing a bit, especially with increasing concerns for lawyer well-being.
The body, however, seems almost entirely neglected both at the SEALS Conference and at law schools nationwide. Yes, there were tennis and pickleball tournaments, but I don’t think there was a single panel related to the physical health of our students, faculty, and staff.
I know he's right. So, in the comments to his post, I suggested a SEALS discussion session on physical wellness. I want to start the process of putting together that session through this post.
The premise underlying the discussion group emanates from Haskell's post.
Physical wellbeing is a critical foundation to what we do. It is different for each of us based on our age, sex, gender, race, health history, genetic make-up, and more. Our ability to navigate or address challenges to our physical health over time impacts our capabilities and our happiness. By sharing our experiences and knowledge about physical wellbeing, we can make each other stronger.
So, will you join me in this SEALS discussion group? If so, let me know in the comments or by email. I look forward to hearing back and working with some of you on this important SEALS program. I appreciate Haskell's original post for planting a seed for this.