We’re proud to make a difference for our personnel and communities through our far-reaching commitment to improving mental, emotional and physical health.
The Kirkland Wellbeing Program — one of the first such initiatives offered in Big Law — was established in 2019 with the mission of continuously improving the overall health of our people. Acknowledging the strong link between corporate wellness programs and higher job satisfaction and improved holistic health, we designed our Wellbeing Program around four core elements: physical fitness, nutrition, mental health and benefits. We make it a point to practice frequent and transparent communication around these topics to better support our people, foster a healthy working environment and advance the legal profession.
Our KFIT program offers diverse initiatives and events focused on promoting physical health and building connections with colleagues through fitness challenges, corporate fitness discounts, and Firmwide and local events.
“We like to emphasize incorporating purposeful movement into every day,” Director of Wellbeing Robin Belleau said. “Moving the body for even just a few minutes increases energy, improves concentration and gets blood flowing — all of which helps reduce stress and anxiety.”
As part of the KFIT program, Kirkland Wellbeing hosts the Firmwide STEPtember step challenge each September, which encourages colleagues to get at least 10,000 steps a day through friendly competition while raising money for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation. The Wellbeing Program also offers monthly Firmwide virtual fitness classes through our partner fitness studio vendors Barry’s, CorePower Yoga and Equinox.
On the local level, KFIT hosts events and engagement opportunities tailored to individual Kirkland offices, including charity races, on-site yoga and tai chi classes; off-site Topgolf, pickleball and kayaking excursions; bingo and scavenger hunt challenges; and Firm-sponsored sports teams.
The connection between the mind and body is central to health and wellbeing, and we prioritize helping our people understand the role of nutrition in their overall health.
Kirkland Wellbeing offers Firmwide webinars on topics such as optimizing nutrition to fuel performance, natural ways to support the immune system, eating for improved focus and productivity, and mindful nutrition for emotional balance.
The Wellbeing team has also hosted on-site healthy cooking demonstrations for attorneys and staff, with instructions on how to prepare functional foods and holiday recipes.
Our comprehensive mental health-related programming helps our people strengthen their coping strategies, manage stress more effectively and increase resiliency. Our Wellbeing Program offers engaging Firmwide sessions led by experts on topics like sleep optimization, decreasing unhealthy habits, parenting and caregiving for aging loved ones, staying organized to reduce stress, navigating imposter syndrome, the science behind cognitive function, and much more.
For more tailored behavioral health guidance, attorneys and staff have the option to contact Director of Wellbeing Robin Belleau, who’s a licensed therapist and attorney, for a confidential one-on-one consultation.
As part of our commitment to reducing the stigma around discussions of mental health, the Wellbeing team distributes curated newsletters to Firmwide personnel, offering tactical advice and additional educational resources. We also observe Mental Health Awareness Month every May by hosting Firmwide workshops that advance the dialogue around mental health and sharing the voices of our attorneys and staff to show the strength and support within the Kirkland community.
Understanding the important role that health, welfare and retirement benefits play in the lives of our attorneys, staff and their families, we proudly provide the most comprehensive wellbeing-related benefits available and deliver internal resources to supplement those benefits. We work with insurers to offer all employees a comprehensive benefits package and encourage personnel to take advantage of all that’s included.
To support physical health, we offer discounted memberships to local gyms and major fitness centers alike, and for mental health, we offer apps for therapy sessions, relaxation, meditation and sleep. And our benefits extend to every step of our employees’ lives, including milestones that may invite additional stress or uncertainty. From starting a family and managing infertility to sending kids to college and caring for elderly or ill family members, we’re here to support our attorneys and staff, who are more than just employees.
$1M+
in charitable contributions to health and wellness organizations in 2023
150+
donations to health and wellness organizations in 2023
Kirkland Director of Wellbeing Robin Belleau, a licensed therapist and attorney, offers the Firm’s attorneys and staff confidential one-on-one consultations, therapeutic support groups and therapeutic referrals. Kirkland personnel can also receive guidance about how to support colleagues going through difficult times.
Our support for health and wellbeing goes beyond our internal Wellbeing Program. It’s woven into the fabric of our Firm, inspiring our work and financial giving.
In 2023, the Firm and our attorneys gave more than $1.5 million to health- and wellness-related organizations. This included organizations that research cures for disease (the American Heart Association, Melanoma Research Alliance, American Cancer Society and more); local hospitals and health foundations (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Texas Hearing Institute, Lurie Children’s Foundation, Sinai Health System and more); behavioral health and treatment centers; and organizations that seek equal access to healthcare. We’re proud to devote time and energy to creating not only a healthier Kirkland community, but also a healthier world.
To ensure our personnel feel confident and capable at every step of their career, the Kirkland Wellbeing Program offers a variety of resources and training, including our Power of Enhanced Awareness series. This eight-week virtual mindfulness-based stress reduction training equips our people with techniques they can integrate into their busy lives to better respond to daily challenges with focus, ease and effectiveness. Each session features a different topic — from strategies for approaching each day with flexibility to mindful communication and listening skills — and aims to help attorneys and staff prioritize healthy mindfulness that will serve as an example to future leaders.
