Emily Stedman is a commercial litigation partner at Husch Blackwell LLP in Milwaukee, where she handles complex business disputes from pre-suit negotiation through trial and appeal. With more than a decade of experience in practice, Emily brings both Big Law credibility and a practical understanding of what it takes to build a successful legal career without burning out. In addition to her litigation work, she is a nationally recognized advocate for lawyer well-being, known for her candid speaking, writing, and thought leadership on the mental health realities of modern legal practice. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers Rising Stars, and Corporate Counsel for her influence and leadership in the profession, including a Women, Influence, and Power in Law Award in the Mental Health and Well-Being Initiative category. She has also served on the Wisconsin Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT LAW FIRM LEADERSHIP AND LAWYER WELL-BEING
Lawyer well-being is often treated as something individual attorneys have to manage on their own. Lawyers are told to set boundaries, manage stress, ask for help, and keep going. That advice may be useful, but it only goes so far when lawyers are also making assumptions about availability, visibility, and what it really takes to succeed inside a demanding law firm.
Emily Stedman is not arguing that Big Law should stop being demanding or that lawyers can build ambitious careers without working hard. Her point is more practical. If law firms want talented lawyers to stay, leaders need to be more honest about how sustainable careers are actually built, including the different ways lawyers can meet expectations, exercise autonomy, and model a life inside the profession that others can realistically imagine for themselves.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Emily Stedman of Husch Blackwell LLP about lawyer well-being as a leadership issue, the assumptions lawyers make about availability and visibility, the generational tensions around boundaries, and why leaders need to tell the truth about how they actually work.
3:22 - Why Emily started speaking openly about lawyer well-being
6:12 - Lateraling to Husch Blackwell and practicing more authentically
7:45 - What Emily changed about how she worked after joining a new firm
9:33 - Building a sustainable Big Law career while still meeting firm expectations
12:08 - The mindset shifts lawyers need before setting better boundaries
16:39 - What law firm leaders get right and wrong about well-being
19:43 - Why lawyer well-being does not mean avoiding hard work
21:23 - Why well-being requires better management conversations inside law firms
24:22 - The connection between everyday well-being, burnout, and mental health crises
29:07 - The one concrete thing law firm leaders can do to make a difference
34:14 - How leaders model autonomy, control, and sustainable careers for others
MENTIONED IN WHAT LAW FIRM LEADERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT LAWYER WELL-BEING
Husch Blackwell LLP | LinkedIn
Emily Stedman | LinkedIn
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