Maneesha Gupta: Legal Minds & Mental Health

Host Tim Culbert welcomes viewers to the inaugural episode of The Wellness Docket podcast. His guest is Maneesha Gupta, the Founder of Council Pro and Mindful Lawyer Canada, and the recipient of Osgoode Hall Law School’s Dean’s Gold Key Award as “one to watch” for exceptional leadership and dedication to promoting mental health and equity. Maneesha shares how her career journey into law unfolded and what led her to founding Mindful Lawyer Canada. It is Maneesha’s vision to be open about the realities of anxiety, depression, and the need for wellness among lawyers, and that vision drives her work in mental health and connecting legal peers through Mindful Lawyer.In addressing the sometimes archaic parts of the legal system, Maneesha says that COVID-19 brought inequality, injustices, and mental health crises in the profession to light, and though it was difficult, it was also a blessing in terms of opening up discussions on evolving needs. She has experienced a very positive response to Mindful Lawyer and the fourteen different workshops it offers. Maneesha and Tim discuss meditation sessions she runs, opening seminars with a workshop, how organizations are realizing the need to step up in supporting their employees, and how the mindfulness practices she teaches are intended for long-term daily use to counteract symptoms of burnout. Conversations around mental health in the legal sphere are necessary and more prominent than ever, and Maneesha expresses her hope that anyone who needs emotional support will now have an avenue through which to find it.About Maneesha Gupta:Esha practices in all aspects of corporate/commercial, intellectual property, advertising and technology law. Her practice focuses on brand protection and enforcement. She has worked at two global law firms on Bay Street and a top four Canadian bank. Esha is detail-oriented and keenly seasoned in advising on all aspects of patents, trademarks and copyrights when protecting the brands and reputations of Canadian businesses and global tech companies. In addition to branding, she counsels clients on IP licensing, cyber-security, privacy, data protection and risk management for AI adoption.She is the recipient of Osgoode Hall Law School’s Dean’s Gold Key Award as the “One-to-Watch” for exceptional leadership, professionalism and compassion not only in her career, but in her dedication to promoting mental health and equity and opportunity for racialized lawyers and law students, women, youth and people with disabilities.Aside from practicing law, she is also a speaker and has given lectures at universities and colleges across Ontario, and presented in panel events at the Law Society of Ontario and Toronto Region Board of Trade. Esha judges various national advocacy competitions and lectures at her alma mater, Osgoode Hall Law School, and the Ted Rogers School of Management. She regularly writes and presents on cases involving privacy and cyber risks associated with AI adoption.Esha is the owner of Mindful Lawyer Canada. The group was founded to tackle psychological distress, anxiety and depression across all areas of the legal fraternity.Resources discussed in this episode:Lawyers With Depression“The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession” by Beth Beattie, Carole Dagher, Thomas TelferCenter for Addiction and Mental Health—Contact Tim Culbert: LinkedInPurvis Culbert Law LinkedInInstagramFacebookContact Maneesha Gupta: Website: ManeeshaGupta.comMindful Lawyer: ManeeshaGupta.com/ResourcesForMindfulnessLinkedIn: Maneesha-GuptajdLinkedIn: Company/Mindful-Lawyer-Canada