Today’s modern professionals are busier than ever—doubly so for lawyers. With increased workloads, industry pressures, and distractions abounding, it’s become imperative that lawyers be capable of focusing on the task at hand to better serve their clients and themselves.
Enter mindfulness. Once the domain of people seeking spiritual health, the undeniable benefits of mindfulness have led to it being adopted and implemented by businesses from Fortune 500 companies to startups. Drawing on 12 years’ experience as a practicing attorney and mindfulness advocate, Jeena Cho (author of The Anxious Lawyer) covers:
- What ‘mindfulness’ is, and how it can benefit your business
- Simple tips for improving focus and productivity in your law firm
- How modern attorneys can ease stress and avoid burnout
2. #ClioWeb
Instructors
Joshua Lenon
• Lawyer in Residence at Clio
• Attorney Admitted in New York
Jeena Cho
• Bankruptcy attorney at JC Law Group
PC
• Author – The Anxious Lawyer
• Podcast – Resilient Lawyer
3. #ClioWeb
Agenda
• Mental health in the legal profession (5 minutes)
• Understanding stress and anxiety (10 minutes)
• What is Mindfulness? (10 minutes)
• What is Mediation? (15 minutes)
• Increasing Productivity (15 minutes)
• Finding Time to Be Mindful (10 minutes)
• Questions (5 minutes)
6. The Numbers
⊡ Lawyers rank fourth
among professions with
highest suicide rates. [1]
⊡ 7 in 10 lawyers would
change careers if the
opportunity arose. [2]
⊡ ABA estimates that 15-
20% of lawyers suffer from
alcoholism or substance
abuse [2]
⊡ 40% of law students suffer
from depression by the
time they graduate. [1]
⊡ Lawyers are 3.6 more
likely to suffer from
depression than non-
lawyers. [1]
⊡ 41% of female attorneys
were unhappy with their
jobs. [3]
15. “ University of Wisconsin
researchers tracked 30,000
American adults for eight
years. They found that subjects
with a lot of stress had a 43%
increasedrisk of dying — but
only if they believed stress was
harmful.
16. “ Angry people tend to rely on
cognitive shortcuts — easy rules of
thumb — rather than on more
systematic reasoning. They're also
quick to blame individuals, rather
than aspects of a situation, for
problems.
— Harvard Business Review
17. 2. What is Mindfulness?
What It Is, What It Isn’t.
21. Mindfulness
□ Paying attention to life =
Increased enjoyment
□ Being present: connected to
the here and now
□ Basis for insight — provides
clearer vision (“sight”) or
what is within
□ React vs. Respond
□ Accepting what is
22. 3. What is Meditation?
What It Is, What It Isn’t.
23. What it is:
▧ Formal tool for
practicing
mindfulness
▧ Training tool for
the brain
▧ Inner exploration
and reflection
▧ Change our
relationships to
thoughts/feelings
Meditation:
What It Is
(and Isn’t) What it’s not:
▧ Not about clearing
or having a blank
mind
▧ Not about
obtaining peaceful
state or nirvana
▧ Not about pushing
away
thoughts/feelings
▧ Not a religious
practice
24. #ClioWeb
Your Brain – On Meditation
http://www.fastcompany.com/3015486/howMtoMbeMaMsuccessMatMeverything/10MsimpleM
scienceMbackedMwaysMtoMbeMhappierMtoday
25. Poll #1
Do you meditate?
A. Never
B. Occasionally (less than twice
per week)
C. Frequently (more than three
times per week)
26. Poll #2
How stressed are you?
(Scale of 1 - 5)
1 - 2. Little to low levels of
stress
3. Moderate amount of stress
4 - 5. High or very high levels of
stress
28. Poll #3
How stressed are you?
(Scale of 1 - 5)
1 - 2. Little to low levels of
stress
3. Moderate amount of stress
4 - 5. High or very high levels of
stress
34. Tips for
Increasing
Productivity 1. Set your intention
2. Stop wasting time on
unproductive, unhelpful
thoughts
3. Let go of what you cannot
control
4. Understand your
boundaries
5. Stop multitasking!
35. Tips for
Increasing
Productivity
with Clio
1. Set your practice’s goals
2. Prioritize your tasks
3. Shift remembering to your
systems
4. Let your clients help
5. Centralize your systems
38. STAY WELL
Sleep: 6-8 hours p/night
Take breaks: add movement
Allies: spend time w/ people who
love you
Yoga: Yoga, mindfulness, deep
breathing
Well-balanced meals
Exercise: 20~30 minutes p/day
Let go
Laugh
40. “ Keys for Cultivating a Meditation
Practice
Practice. Practice. Practice.
1. Set a timer
2. Find a comfortable position – sit or
lay down
3. Check body
4. Close eyes
5. Bring the attention to the breath.
Breath in and out.
44. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who
made and released these awesome
resources for free:
□ Presentation template by
SlidesCarnival
□ Photographs by Unsplash