Spotlight on Wellness & Sustainability
Wellness in public defense is a professional requirement, not a luxury. Public defense work has evolved and, in the modern era, demands extraordinary individual commitment to providing holistic defense. However, sustainability requires shifting from individual responsibility to shared organizational responsibility. Among public defense professionals and in recent publications, it has become a common discussion that wellness is often framed as a personal duty, when in fact agencies must also create conditions that support it.
A shift in culture of this nature means rethinking workplace design (outdoor spaces, privacy, healthier food options), communication culture (reasonable response times, reduced meeting overload), and mental health resources (on-site trauma support, clear telework policies). The U.S. Surgeon General’s workplace wellness model—emphasizing protection from harm, growth, connection, work-life harmony, and mattering—offers a more practical framework than abstract categories. The NAPD 10 Principles for Creating Sustainability in Public Defense provides the blueprint for executable actions to progress the culture of wellness.
When we think about wellness in public defense, organizations play a key role in shaping the culture. Innovation doesn’t always require large budgets—sometimes it’s the small, intentional practices that matter most. Organizations can model boundary-setting by training public defense professionals about time off options (PTO, sick, holidays), promoting leadership to take real time off, and encouraging their teams to do the same. They can lessen the impact of stress on leadership and subordinates by candidly acknowledging heavy caseloads, crisis periods, rotating staff through high-intensity assignments, and proactively checking in on colleagues who may not have the same flexibility for self-care. Practical innovations include creating “quiet hours” free of meetings and emails, replacing unhealthy breakroom snacks with nourishing options, and inviting wellness professionals for short on-site sessions. By embedding these proactive practices, offices will not only reduce the negative impact of the work but also build a culture where sustainability is the norm—not the exception.
When we invest in these changes, we strengthen not only our individual resilience but also the long-term sustainability of public defense itself.
Thank you for being part of this ongoing effort to build healthier, more sustainable practices in our offices and our lives. We look forward to seeing you on September 11th for the monthly Defender Wellness Collective meetup, which takes place on the second Thursday of every month at 2 pm EST.