Claire E. Parsons is a practicing lawyer, certified mindfulness and compassion teacher, mom, and prolific writer. Claire started this blog to share her experience with mindfulness in a practical (and sometimes humorous) voice to help others in the legal profession take their legal minds from burdened to brilliant. You can learn more about each aspect of her background below.
Law Practice
Claire is a Partner at Wood + Lamping, LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has practiced for the last fifteen years in the areas of civil litigation, employment law, school law, and municipal law. Claire is an active leader in her community and in the legal profession. She has led innovative charitable programs in her community, statewide legal organizations, and committees relating to the promotion of women professionals. Claire currently serves on the Northern Kentucky Bar Association’s Lawyers Living Well Committee and the Ohio State Bar Association’s Wellness Advisory Board. She is also a meditation leader for the Mindfulness in Law Society’s Virtual Sits and the founder of the MILS Greater Cincinnati Chapter.
Writing and Speaking
Claire is a frequent writer and speaker on a wide range of topics. She has published and spoken about numerous topics, ranging from complex legal issues, to law practice, networking and marketing, as well as mindfulness and wellness for lawyers and other professionals. She writes regularly on LinkedIn and even co-authored a bestselling book in 2020 with 19 other women lawyers about how they used the platform to network and pursue career goals during the pandemic. She recently published her first book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer: The Unexpected and Simple Guide to Less Stress and Greater Personal Development Through Mindfulness and Compassion. Claire is also the author of the new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute. Claire is currently serving as general editor for a legal treatise to be published in 2024.
Journey to Mindfulness
Though Claire is now a law firm partner, mom to two thriving girls, and a thought leader in the profession, she struggled early in her practice with overthinking, anxiety, and depression. After a difficult first pregnancy with her oldest daughter, Sophie, Claire started a mindfulness practice that changed her life and helped her build her law practice. Over the next several years, she continued to study mindfulness practices and attend retreats in the vipassana, Zen, and secular mindfulness traditions.
Mindfulness Training and Experience
Claire has been meditating for a decade and has extensive training in mindfulness, yoga, compassion, and more. In 2020, Claire completed the 160-hour online meditation teacher certification program with The Mindfulness Center founded by Deborah Norris, Ph.D., to refine her understanding of the science of mindfulness and its practical applications. She continued her training in 2021 by completing the 500-hour yoga teacher training offered by My Vinyasa Practice. Last year, Claire completed the Compassion Educator Certificate Program offered by the Compassion Education Alliance. Most recently, she obtained a certification in pranayama to facilitate breathwork instruction. Claire has also completed many of the most well-known mindfulness programs, including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, the Power of Awareness, Compassion Cultivation Training, and Mindful Self-Compassion. Though Claire is not a licensed mental health provider or trauma healer, she has training in trauma-informed yoga, trauma-sensitive mindfulness, and somatic healing.
To learn more, follow or connect with Claire on LinkedIn, follow her or check out her guided meditations on Insight Timer, or contact her at claire@claireeparsons.com.