I have been having feelings of disillusionment all week. I am watching as everything gets shut down and yet I am still responsible for getting work done. Nothing has changed. And my brain is having a bit of a tantrum about that. I am having feelings of resentment for having to continue on like nothing […]
I often talk to young lawyers who hesitate to ask questions at work. They have a fear that if they ask questions, the partners are going to believe that they don’t know what they’re doing. The problem is: you are a young lawyer and you don’t know what you’re doing yet. You must to ask […]
I often hear people ask whether they should change jobs. They say their current job is not fulfilling. They ask “Should I leave my law firm?” “Should I leave private practice?” “Should I leave the public sector?” “Should I go In House?” “Should I just leave the law altogether?” I cannot answer those questions. Why? […]
In this week’s episode, I talk about “5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life” by Bill Eddy, a lawyer and a therapist. In the book he goes into detail about high-conflict personality (“HCP”) types that are the source of many of the most intense relationship conflicts experienced by attorneys. If you think about […]
In this week’s episode, I talk about how I use routines to manage my morning anxiety. We have all experienced it: your alarm goes off in the morning and your body fills with dread, anxiety and worry about everything that happened yesterday and everything that is going to happen today. This carries on throughout the […]
In this week’s episode, I discuss why identifying your case as your “baby” can trigger your primal fight or flight response any time that “baby” is threatened. 99% of the time, this new case is not a special snowflake, not going to change the world and is not your “baby” to save. If the case […]
In this week’s episode, I talk about three main reasons why criticism leads to beliefs that cause such intense negative emotion. The fear of losing your tribe, fear of failure and fear of punishment is engrained in us by our biology, traditional educational system and our respective upbringings. I discuss how I struggled so much […]
I am happy to report that my goal of reading one book per month has been successful so far. Studies have shown that reading can reduce stress, increase focus and increase analytical thinking. It’s a wonderful mindfulness tool and I try to set aside at least 30 minutes per day to just sit and read. […]
In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss how to use mindfulness to change the beliefs that cause lawyers to panic when working on a legal writing assignment or project such as a brief or memo. Sometimes we can turn a brief into a monster of an assignment. We associate our overall self-worth with the outcome […]
My fellow litigators: sometimes you will be so sure that your case strategy will work and that someone else’s suggestion will not. And sometimes you will be completely and utterly wrong. If you do not accept that, you will experience the unnecessary emotional and physical consequences of failing to manage your mind. In this week’s […]