Liberty Law jurist in residence appointed to Virginia Wellness Advisory Committee

In addition to developing professionalism and wellness programming at Liberty University School of Law, Jurist in Residence Judge R. Edwin Burnette was recently appointed to the Wellness Advisory Committee, under the Supreme Court of Virginia, which focuses on providing ways for law schools and the greater law profession to foster wellness.

The committee is comprised of various justices, judges, attorneys, and designees from law schools and was assembled in response to a national study on stress in the legal profession, which found that there is a disproportionate number of lawyers that are unhappy, experiencing mental health issues, or struggling with substance abuse.

“What we found was that a lot of these problems that led to more serious problems down the road started in law school for a number of these individuals,” Burnette said. “Seeds were planted before they got out into the legal profession.”

As a jurist in residence, Burnette had already been promoting wellness and professionalism in students’ personal and professional lives through an initiative directed by Liberty Law Dean Timothy Todd. Burnette spent 23 years practicing law at Edmunds & Williams (now Woods Rogers), before presiding over the General District Court and Lynchburg Circuit Court for over 18 years.

“We are so thankful for the leadership and impact that Judge Burnette is having in the Liberty Law community,” Todd said. “He has brought a wealth of experience to our community that he shares with our students. Based on his many years of experience as a practicing lawyer and as a judge, he brings a unique ability to talk about the real issues that lawyers and judges face. His perspective has added a new depth to our professionalism and wellness initiatives.”

Burnette began hosting local judges for monthly lunches and other networking events with Liberty Law students, and he invited various other law professionals — including Virginia Supreme Court Senior Justice William Mims and Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas Mann — to advise the students on prioritizing a healthy work-life balance in their callings.

Last spring, Burnette invited two committee members, Mann and Hetal Challa, director of the Virginia Lawyers’ Wellness Initiative, to speak to Liberty Law students. They provided Burnette with resources that help lawyers face challenges in their daily workspaces, and through their connection, they asked Burnette to join the Wellness Advisory Committee this past summer.

“I felt very honored to be asked,” he said. “Obviously this is an important undertaking, and the people who are already on this committee are people I have a huge respect for. I’m delighted to be able to join this group in working toward promoting wellness in the profession and the law schools.”

As part of the committee, Burnette will provide feedback on wellness in the law profession and collaborate with law schools and other statewide entities to develop resources and programs to support lawyers.

“(Wellness in the law profession) is a generally recent development,” Burnette said. “It’s not something that the legal profession has been known to emphasize. I think the key thing really is to raise awareness of the importance of taking care of yourself as a lawyer, and that’s really (the committee’s) goal.”

Burnette said the committee focuses on six dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and occupational. He said Liberty Law already has a head start on the spiritual dimension.

“Our students come to this law school and are in an environment where the spiritual dimension is emphasized daily for them. That’s not the case in other law schools,” he said. “So the emphasis is there, and the students understand the importance of that in their lives. What will be helpful to students is to let them know that yes, spirituality is one aspect of life, but there are these others, too.”

The conversations and resources Burnette gains as a committee member will directly flow to students at Liberty Law, as he continues to build up wellness and professionalism initiatives to prepare them for their careers. He plans to continue hosting networking events, providing advice and mentorship on reducing stress, and offering a series of presentations on life skills for professionalism.

“At Liberty Law, we view law as a calling and a ministry, and we are committed to equipping our students to flourish in their professional and personal lives,” Todd said. “We’re excited to see Judge Burnette being recognized for his commitment to professionalism and wellness.”