Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Did You Say Mediation or Meditation?

The ABA Journal recently posted an article about Charles Halpern, who teaches a class at the University of California - Berkeley's Boalt Hall law school titled "Effective and Sustainable Law Practice: The Meditative Perspective."  Halpern also offers periodic meditation retreats for legal professionals. 

While at first glance one might think that "Meditation" would be a typo on the course schedule, there is a significant amount of scholarship that explores the value of meditation in the lives of law students and lawyers and the potential benefits to their careers, clients, and overall well-being. 

Faculty and students interested in the topic may want to consider the following articles available either remotely or on-campus via HeinOnline:

Leonard L. Riskin, The Contemplative Lawyer: On the Potential Contributions of Mindfulness Meditation to Law Students, Lawyers, and Their Clients, 7 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 1 (2002)

David M. Zlotnick, Integrating Mindfulness Theory and Practice Into Trial Advocacy, 61 J. Legal Educ. 654 (2011-2012)

Douglas A. Codiga, Reflections on the Potential Growth of Mindfulness Meditation in the Law, 7 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 109 (2002)

Charles Halpern, Mindful Lawyer: Why Contemporary Lawyers Are Practicing Meditation, 61 J. Legal. Educ. 641 (2011-2012)

Angela P. Harris, Toward Lawyering as Peacemaking: A Seminar on Mindfulness, Morality, and Professional Identity, 61 J. Legal Educ. 647 (2011-2012)

In addition, the law library has in its collection several titles which discuss meditation, work-life balance and other strategies for successful legal practice:

Bringing Peace Into the Room : How the Personal Qualities of the Mediator Impact the Process of Conflict Resolution / Daniel Bowling, David Hoffman, editors (featuring a chapter on mindfulness meditation)

Coaching for Attorneys: Improving Productivity and Achieving Balance / by Cami McKaren and Stephanie J. Finelli (on order)

Excellence In the Workplace: Legal & Life Skills in a Nutshell / by Kay Kavanagh and Paula Nailon

The Lawyer’s Guide to Balancing Life and Work / by George W. Kaufman

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