Presiding in a leadership role over a demographic known for working long, stressful hours inspired Julie Blume to do something to help alleviate that issue.
As director of total rewards at law firm Ropes & Gray, she made it her mission to prioritize the mental health of a typically overworked profession.
Blume championed the creation and launch of the firm's Thrive Positive Lawyering program, an initiative designed to comprehensively support the mental health and well-being of first-year associates navigating the difficult transition from law school to Big Law.
"Thrive was designed to support our newest attorneys in building sustainable, fulfilling careers by integrating well-being principles directly into the practice of big law," she explained. "Rather than treating wellness as something separate from professional life, Thrive embeds positive habits and resources into the daily rhythm of our lawyers' work."
Thrive, which was first implemented for first-year associate onboarding in 2024, is backed by science-backed curriculum rooted in psychology and features one-on-one coaching, small group sessions, weekly reflections, and supplemental resources spanning six months. The initiative has also garnered an impressive 100% participation.
"The program has resonated deeply among those who participated, driving meaningful engagement and reinforcing the idea that high performance and personal well-being are not competing priorities — they reinforce one another," Blume said. "Seeing the 100% uptake and the positive feedback from our newest attorneys participant has been super rewarding."
Participation rates aren't the only statistics Blume tracks in her role.
"I thrive at the intersection of data and people — diving deep into analytics to inform strategy while never losing sight of the human element behind every decision," she said. "As a plan fiduciary, I take seriously the responsibility of balancing cost consciousness for the firm and our people with delivering a best-in-class benefits package. It's not an either/or proposition, it's about finding the right equilibrium where both the organization and its employees feel well-served."
Technology is also something Blume is eyeing to help another common benefits concern.
"My focus is exploring how we can shift our benefits strategy upstream toward prevention," she said. "We already do an exceptional job of supporting our members once they become sick — wrapping them in resources, advocacy and high-quality care. I'd like to put just as much energy into keeping people healthy in the first place."
Blume sees emerging technology as a critical component in solving for this issue: "I'm especially excited about the potential of emerging technology and AI to help identify opportunities for early intervention, deliver personalized nudges and connect people with preventive resources at the moment they're most likely to engage."
Julie will be honored at EBN's Benefits at Work conference in September, which you can
