Interest in meditation and mindfulness has skyrocketed in recent years, thanks largely to neuroimaging and the body of scientific research that has validated the many benefits of these practices. Sadly, the legal community has for the most part been left out, even though lawyers would clearly benefit from mindfulness. Many lawyers feel hesitant to try meditation, which can seem alien and inaccessible from the vantage point of a professional culture that places great value on logic and reason.
Jeena Cho and Karen Gifford set out to help address this gap in The Anxious Lawyer. Both Cho and Gifford began meditating as practicing attorneys, and have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties and rewards of legal practice. They experienced how meditation and mindfulness practices support a more effective and enjoyable legal practice. Both also found unexpected rewards of meditation that go deeper: better self-understanding, more rewarding relationships and a deeper feeling of connection with the world.
The Anxious Lawyer program includes:
- Instruction on a number of simple meditation techniques
- Concrete guidance for establishing a daily meditation and mindfulness practice
- Exercises designed to give the reader practical experience in bringing the insights of meditation and mindfulness to meeting the challenges of daily life and particularly of legal practice
- Practical examples of how mindfulness and meditation can help to cultivate a more joyful and satisfying law practice
- Discussion of scientific research on the effects of meditation and what the evidence shows about its benefits
- Practical tools, including access to guided meditations and worksheets that allow the reader to track his or her progress
Co-author Jeena Cho speaks and writes about creating a sustainable law practice. She is a contributor to Forbes and Above the Law where she covers resilience, work/life integration, and wellness in the workplace. She regularly speaks on women's issues, diversity, wellness, stress management, mindfulness and meditation. You can reach her at hello@jeenacho.com
Co-author Karen Gifford is an investor and advisor on policy and regulatory issues in the financial technology space. Previously, she practiced law in the private sector and as a litigation and enforcement attorney for the Federal Reserve. She is a columnist for the Huffington Post where she writes on issues related to leadership, the workplace and the financial industry.
