Lori Pines has been featured in a Q&A with The American Lawyer, discussing her recent appointment as the Firm’s first Chief Wellness Officer. A veteran Complex Commercial Litigation partner with a 30-year tenure at Weil, Lori also co-founded and co-leads the Firm’s Health and Well-Being Committee, having helped structure significant programming over the past two-plus years.

In the Q&A, Lori discussed the crucial importance of providing a comprehensive well-being program in the workplace, her longtime dedication and passion for advancing employee wellness, and the significance of her recent transition into a C-level role solely dedicated to this area – a position that few other large law firms have in place.

“Our intention is to foster physical, intellectual, environmental, occupational, mental, emotional, financial, spiritual and social well-being. I am really excited about continuing to enhance the well-being program in the years to come,” Lori told The American Lawyer. “It is so important, and if anything the pandemic has made people accurately aware of health issues. With that said, there will be a movement toward a stronger focus on these issues. Having a dedicated position such as a CWO is a way to do that,” Lori said.

Lori also discussed the strong support and enthusiasm she received from Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf and Weil Executive Director David Strumeyer (David co-leads the Health and Well-Being Committee along with Lori), to address and broaden the Firm’s efforts around health and wellness. Lori added: “The Firm embraced the Chief Wellness Officer role, and the fact that a partner was given that role shows how serious they are.”

The Q&A also noted Lori’s long-running interest in health-related issues, as well as her vast repertoire of knowledge and significant credentials. She has a degree in Biology from Harvard and an MPA from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and is a Duke Certified Integrative Health Coach as well as a Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist. Lori is on the Advisory Board of New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Leadership Council on Children’s and Women’s Health, where she has helped many colleagues, friends and family members obtain medical care. Lori is also now pursuing mental health first aid training.

Read the full Q&A here.