We've created a new page, under construction, sponsored by

Gretchen Duhaime,Founder
Practicing on Purpose LLC
Wellness stewards for the legal profession
http://www.practicingonpurpose.com

We'll be developing this page more over the next few weeks, connecting related videos, blogs, and articles. It will include many resources that are not from Practicing On Purpose in addition to content provided to us from them.

Gretchen has developed an overview of well-being that is very holistic and we'll be organizing this page based on her model.

Practicing on Purpose Model:

Some time ago, we entered a new era of “accelerating acceleration.” It is an era that allows humans to provide a higher standard of living for everyone on the planet than ever before. It is also a time when things are being shaken up for purposes of being reordered – a time of greater chaos. It’s happening on a global stage: witness the world economy. It may not be so much a disaster, as a revelation of what’s really of value, and what wasn’t working. That gives us clear indications of what needs to be done differently.

There is much discussion these days in the CP community about the proposed Uniform Collaborative Law Act. Much of bit having to do with its inclusion of some "exceptions" to the Disqualification provision of the Participation Agreement. I'd like to add a couple of thoughts to the dialogue.

This video might set the right tone for my thoughts: http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=3749 I viewed it and sighed a relieved smile.

Anyway, I don't like the exceptions any more than anyone who has spoken out against them. [yep, I can be a bit of a purist, okay a dogmatist ;-) ]

Hello Cutting Edge Law!

I guess this blog post has two purposes. One is to introduce myself to the community, and the other is to pose a question.

So first the intro part:

Attended a great conference last week in Chicago. Very interesting attorneys and speakers. Really enjoyed the program featuring John McShane and hope to get to know more about him and his practice! Seems to me there is alot of overlap with the recovery communities and holistic or humanized legal practice. Since I am slightly active in the Wellness Committee of both the Memphis and Tennessee Bar Associations (will meet today with ED of our Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program) in bringing some changes to the practice, I found the confluence of Mr.

I've noticed lately - I get to spend way too much time googling Collaborative Practice - a growing trend that troubles me. It seems that more and more professionals, I think I've mostly noticed this among attorneys, have been asserting that they are "Certified" in Collaborative Law / Practice.

My concern is for the long term credibility and integrity of CP. To the best of my knowledge there is no organization that offers a "certification" in CP.

The ABA model rules declare that:

A common question asked in relation to therapeutic jurisprudence is whether it has any application to commercial areas of the law such as corporate law and taxation. Therapeutic jurisprudence purports to apply to the whole range of the law, legal processes and legal actors in the diverse social contexts in which they operate. TJ sees them as potentially affecting the wellbeing of those who come into contact with them.

Lawyers As Healers
By Nadia S. Ballas-Ruta, Esq of www.HappyLotus.com

When I began my first year at law school, many of the second year students warned me that my way of looking at things would change by the end of the year. I never understood what they were talking about until later that spring. Someone told me that they would talk to me later and I found myself trying to analyze what did later mean. Did it mean in a few hours, a few days or maybe later was another way of saying never again. It was at that moment that I realized the power of a legal education.

Steven Keeva has been a beloved member of the legal transformation community for many years. His columns in the ABA Journal highlighted and opened up new opportunities for lawyers. As author of Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life (an ABA Journal Book published by Contemporary Books, 1999), he opened up possibilities in law that few had ever conceived. He told many stories that connected with the heart and soul of law and comforted and inspired many.

In the past few years, Steve has been ill. Various diagnoses attempt to name the neurological condition that has interfered with his ability to communicate. "Early Alzheimers" is the label that helps many of us understand it but we pray for a diagnosis which is treatable and returns the Steve we know and love to wellness. For now, his body is healthy but he is unable to remember simple details like phone numbers. He cannot read or write and email has been impossible for a long time. Dialing the telephone is difficult but he enjoys talking when people call him. His long-term memory for names and voices seems in tact.

This year, the tenth anniversary of Transforming Practices, the IAHL is honoring Steve at a dinner on Saturday night, June 13, 2009, as part of its 17th Annual Holistic Law Conference, “Voices of the New Lawyer,” in Chicago. IAHL will be presenting him the First Annual Transforming Practices Award. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Steve will be in attendance.

[Client - Attorney Q and A]

Q. What is meant by mindfulness?

A. It seems appropriate to begin a discussion of mindfulness by honoring Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.d who pioneered stress reduction clinics at the University of Massachusetts in the 1970s and since throughout the country. Using eastern themes of Presence and Awareness, he reworked and popularized techniques of meditation and yogic breathing to create a simple system of focusing attention. Its purposes include harmonizing intention in a manner aimed at awakening us to the present moment, and assisting us in gently returning to the moment even as our minds inevitably become lost in the trance of thought, again and again. Thinking becomes trance when it is reflexive, habitual, and circular -- this is 95% of the content and structure of most people's experience of thought, a repeating internal dialogue going nowhere and having nothing to do with the present moment.

1) I will meditate every day before or after work. During meditation I will give thanks for all the blessings in my life, and I will set a clear intention for each new day. If a family member or friend is sick, I will say a healing prayer for him.

2) During my workday I will not be ceaselessly busy. I will make time to breathe deeply, become calm and allow my mind to slow down. I will invite self-reflection rather than operate mindlessly on automatic pilot. I will ask myself if I am meeting my intention for the day.

I get tired of New Age gurus preaching that I shouldn’t be angry. The fact is, sometimes I am angry. I am angry when people I trust betray me. I am angry when people make promises they don’t keep.

Anger was not considered a “nice” emotion in my birth family. My mother rarely expressed it. Neither did my father. There was an occasional exception.

By Kali Samaya Tara, JD
April 12, 2009

Do you ever have the feeling that the world is out to get you? Have you ever experienced a time in your life when nothing seems to go right and even the mundane tasks seem to be a struggle? You’re not alone. Peter was just such a person. One day he was on his way to work and things just seem to go wrong from the moment he walked in the door. Peter comes into the office with his arms full of paperwork, his secretary gives him a fist full of messages from clients mostly “urgent”,

Editor's note: This article by Ada Gonzalez explores the emotional issues of divorce. Designed for clients, it may also be helpful to those who work with them.

Separation and divorce are among the most painful and disruptive events that an individual and family can experience. The emotions that divorce induce clash with emotions you have felt in the past, and with the core of who you are. After all, many times your marriage is a big part of your identity.