As lawyers, we identify so much of who we are with what we do. Therefore, it’s difficult to think about a career change because it can feel as though we’re losing a part of our identity.
"I am constantly on edge. It feels like I'm walking around with an open wound," says the lawyer who I've been coaching. This is a familiar feeling to me. I've been there. I've lived through it. The lawyer is reeling [...]
When I work with lawyers, often, they get stuck and feel overwhelmed because they are trying to do too much, change too quickly and force their way through their struggles rather than take a gentler, smarter approach.
As lawyers, we value the mind. We value thinking. We value our analytical prowess. Yet, the thinking mind can be a terrible roommate. Often, lawyers feel distressed by the constant and persistent thoughts. The obsessive planning. Constantly feeling on edge. [...]
Lawyers struggle with a high rate of anxiety. It makes sense. We're expected to deliver outcomes that are favorable to our clients, yet, have little control over the outcomes. We don't get to make the final decision. It's helpful to [...]
You can blame or target the person, thing, or event that initially caused the anger but the only thing you can change is your relationship to anger.
Last week, the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being issued a 73-page report on "creating a movement to improve well-being in the legal profession." The report states what we know from the data: "To be a good lawyer, one has to [...]
One of the core reasons for why there is still such a huge gap and lack of diversity and inclusion in our profession is because we continue to make excuses for perpetuating exclusion.
The one theme I see that comes up repeatedly with lawyers is unhappiness and discontentment. I often hear lawyers say, “I'm so unhappy at my job but I can't afford to quit. I'm working constantly so I don't have time [...]
One interesting observation I made during the month-long silent meditation retreat was how long it took before the phantom vibration went away. I'd constantly catch myself reaching for my iPhone because I felt it vibrate — except that the phone [...]