• videocam Live Webinar with Live Q&A
  • calendar_month November 4, 2026 @ 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
  • signal_cellular_alt Intermediate
  • card_travel Ethics and Specialty Credits
  • schedule 90 minutes

Thriving Under Pressure: Attorney Performance, Stress, and Resilience

Using Science to Improve Focus, Judgment, Decision Making, and Professional Effectiveness

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MSRP
$197.00
$167.45
Save $29.55

Discount expires 10/21/26

This course is $0 with these passes:

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About the Course

Introduction

This CLE webinar will examine how stress affects attorney performance, the science behind its physiological and cognitive effects, and what counsel can do to prevent and mitigate the impacts of a demanding legal practice.

Description

Attorneys routinely handle intense workloads that involve high-stakes cases and challenging interpersonal conflict. Add to this the many deadlines and business pressures that result in a never-ending connection with their work. Such sustained stress affects one's focus, cognition, memory, judgment, physical health, and ability to recover. Ultimately, the practitioner pays the price through an inability to perform effectively or deleterious health effects.

Understanding the physiological and cognitive effects of stress can help attorneys recognize when sustained pressure starts to impair their performance. The individual may then identify techniques for maintaining health and capacity during demanding periods of their practice.

The panel will examine the science of stress and human performance and explore how this may surface in legal practice, covering evidence-based approaches to performance, resilience, and recovery. 

Listen as our panel discusses how attorneys can use performance science to maintain a healthy approach to their work and life, improve their overall wellness, and remain effective through the many pressures of daily practice.

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.

  • An excellent opportunity to earn Ethics CLE credits. Note: BARBRI cannot guarantee that this course will be approved for ethics credits in all states. To confirm, please contact our CLE department at pdservice@barbri.com.


  • Live Online


    On Demand

Date + Time

  • event

    Wednesday, November 4, 2026

  • schedule

    1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT

I. Why attorney performance under pressure matters 

A. Unique pressures facing attorneys, practice demands 

B. Interdependence of performance, health, and well-being

C. Moving beyond the generic "self-care" model 

II. What stress does to the brain and body 

A. Physiological stress response and cumulative load 

B. Effects on cognition, focus, memory, judgment, and decision-making 

C. How sustained pressure degrades performance and capacity 

III. Performance challenges in legal practice 

A. Deadlines, high-conflict interactions, complex decisions, constant availability 

B. Effects on client service, relationships, leadership, and judgment 

C. Risk indicators

IV. Building resilience, recovery, and capacity 

A. Recovery science, energy management, and resilience practices 

B. Converting clinical knowledge into realistic attorney habits 

V. Applying performance science

A. Attention, workload, and decision-environment management 

B. Strategies for individual practitioners, teams, organizations 

C. Leadership and culture considerations 

VI. Action steps

A. Maintaining effectiveness during periods of continuous demand 

B. Action steps for improving outcomes and thriving under pressure 

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • How acute and chronic stress affect cognition, focus, memory, judgment, and decision-making
  • Recognizing stress-related performance challenges and cognitive overload in legal practice
  • Applying evidence-based approaches to resilience, recovery, and sustainable performance
  • Using individual and organizational strategies to support attorney capacity, competence, and client service