Reed Smith Labor & Employment partner Mark Goldstein has been shortlisted for the TLC Lions Human Storyteller of the Year Award.
Goldstein is honored for his multifaceted work advocating for attorney mental health, including spearheading Reed Smith’s Mental Health Task Force and the firm’s signature campus events promoting law student health and wellness.
As per TLC Lions, this award “honors an individual who has displayed tremendous courage by sharing their personal story within the workplace. A Human Storyteller breaks down barriers, empowers others to find their voice, and, in doing so, fosters a more human culture in their workplace.”
Finalists in each category will be honored, and winners announced, at the TLC Lions Human Awards Americas 2024 in New York City Oct. 30.
Over the last five years, Goldstein has made a tremendous impact leading the firm’s global Mental Health Task Force, which he helped launch in 2020 to advise on policies, practices, programming, education, services, resources and awareness-raising around issues of attorney and law student well-being.
Reed Smith’s Mental Health Task Force follows the goals of the American Bar Association’s National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. The task force is an initiative of the firm’s disability business inclusion group, LEADRS (Looking for Excellence and Advancement of Persons with Disabilities at Reed Smith).
Reed Smith was among the first law firms in the United States to create such a comprehensive, in-house mental health initiative, which emerged from discussions on how to further support members of the firm’s workforce facing mental health challenges.
Under Goldstein’s leadership, the task force has held a signature annual Mental Health Summit for the past four years, each featuring leading mental health experts, legal industry professionals, and peers exploring strategies for fostering a supportive and resilient legal community.
In October 2023, the task force sponsored its first Law Student Mental Health Summit for students, faculty members and administrators to proactively address the mental health of aspiring lawyers.
Other key initiatives include on-campus events, lawyer assistance webinars, in-office mental health first aid training, CLE courses, a multimedia #StopTheStigma awareness campaign, events each March to mark Mental Health Wellness Month, and joint programming with the firm's Neurodiversity Network.
Goldstein first shared the story of his own struggles with depression and anxiety with The American Lawyer in Feb. 2019. His article, “’Scared. Ashamed. Crippled.’—How One Lawyer Overcame Living With Depression in Big Law,” still resonates throughout the legal industry; and he is frequently asked to speak about mental health-related topics on webinars, bar association events, and other programs.
“Writing that article literally changed my life for the better,” said Goldstein, “and hopefully the lives and mindsets of others, as well.”
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