By Karen Munoz
Published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
I know I have written a lot over the past few years about the concept of mindfulness. On the surface, it may not appeal to some lawyers.
I know that when I first became introduced to the practice of yoga and meditation, I was a little more than weary of the foreign Sanskrit words and concepts. At first, I was embarrassed to “om” in a class full of strangers. I did not understand what it meant to “focus on the breath” or how one goes into a state of meditation. Sit and listen to my thoughts? Who has time for that? I certainly didn’t. I was busy and had clients and litigation to attend to.
But I kept going to class and kept practicing. It was like a magnet kept pulling me in, and I noticed how much better I began to feel physically and mentally. The more I practiced, the more I was able to take a step back and not be reactive to situations at work.
My practice allowed me to find space to deeply analyze a problem and then respond accordingly.
This was important for me in the practice of law because if we allow ourselves, we will always be on the defense no matter what side we actually practice on.
When we are constantly reacting to what opposing counsel says or writes, we don’t have the ability to factor what is important and what is not. Our brain becomes wired to fire off the nasty email back, or we allow our stomachs to sink when we see the phone ring and it’s an attorney with whom we have a hard time seeing eye to eye.
These stressful reactions are not good for the physical or mental well-being of attorneys, nor is it good for the overall practice of law. It is something we really don’t like to talk about in our profession, and it is definitely not a topic generally covered in law schools. Although, there appears to be a change in the legal tide.
There are now a few courses in law schools throughout the country that are beginning to offer mindfulness courses.
A colleague of mine, Jeena Cho, a San Francisco bankruptcy attorney, is traveling the country this summer offering mindfulness workshops to attorneys. We presented a workshop just this past week at the CBA, and the turnout was great.
Also, in recent weeks, it is a topic that has garnered much attention — the latest a front page article in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ’s article shined a light on the spread of mindfulness into the legal profession. I think it may be safe to say the concept is becoming mainstream when the WSJ covers it.
In addition, although not quite the same as the subject of the WSJ, the New York Times this past Sunday featured an article in its Sunday Review section titled “No time to be nice at work.” It generally spoke about bad behavior in the workplace and the cost of such behavior. Of particular import was an interview given by retired Los Angeles judge J. Gary Hastings, who told the Times that when he informally polled juries, a huge deciding factor between wins and losses was how the attorneys acted and that civil or arrogant behavior by the attorneys swayed the jury.
Going back to my original thought that mindfulness may not appeal to some lawyers, I urge you to give it a try. It doesn’t require much time, and it is something we all can do — to be less reactive, more focused and present. Studies show that just a few minutes of mediation a day can lower our levels of stress.
Just a few minutes of day of putting away the phone, not looking at emails as soon as they come in and just focusing on whatever is at hand.
When we move a little more mindfully, we become just that much more productive, and ultimately, better lawyers.