law students - brilliantlegalmind.com

Finding Balance: Lessons from Philosophy, Structure, and Resistance

If balance isn’t what you escape to, but what you build from, then the next question is obvious:
How do you build it?

Not just in theory.

In a world that runs on overstimulation, scarcity mindset, and status games:

How do you actually live differently?

The answer isn’t in hacks or habits. It’s in philosophy.

The kind that orients you when ambition is loud and clarity is quiet. The kind that helps you walk away from things that reward you for abandoning yourself.

Balance isn’t just about rest. It’s about rhythm, resistance, and re-centering, again and again.

1. Rhythm: You Are What You Repeatedly Do

Aristotle said it best: “Excellence is not an act, but a habit.”

What he really meant is: the shape of your life is formed by what you do consistently, not what you feel inspired to do once in a while.

That includes your inputs: what you read, consume, scroll, and rehearse in your mind.

It includes your defaults: what you say yes to without thinking, what you say no to because you “should.”

It includes your silence: what fills your attention when no one is asking for it.

If you want balance, you need rhythm.

And rhythm means making space on purpose, before the world fills it for you.

Ask yourself:

What are you building repetition around? Clarity, or chaos?
What time of day belongs to you, without negotiation?
What anchors you when you’re off-center, and do you actually return to those anchors regularly?

2. Resistance: You’re Allowed to Not Want the Same Things

Stoicism is often misunderstood as suppression.

But Epictetus wasn’t telling people to be numb.

He was teaching them to guard their energy, to distinguish between what’s in their control and what’s not. Because the more noise you react to, the less signal you can hear.

In today’s context, that’s a revolutionary act.

Because the system doesn’t just reward overwork; it shames you for wanting less.

It pathologizes rest. It glamorizes imbalance.

It makes ambition feel like obligation, and burnout feel like progress.

Balance, then, becomes a form of resistance.

It’s how you reclaim your time, your nervous system, and your identity from a culture that treats your worth as performance.

Ask yourself:

Where have you internalized urgency that isn’t even yours?
What values are actually yours, and which ones were just inherited from the environment?
Are you okay with being seen as “less ambitious” if it means being more intact?

3. Re-centering: You Need a Philosophy, Not Just a Schedule

Viktor Frankl wrote, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’”

He was writing about survival under the worst conditions imaginable, but the lesson holds in everyday life: if you don’t choose what your life is for, something else will choose for you.

The point of balance isn’t to feel relaxed.

The point is to remain aligned, so that your output reflects your values—not just your fear or momentum.

That means checking in regularly. It means zooming out from metrics.

It means seeing your calendar as a moral document, not just a logistical one.

Re-centering isn’t an emergency button. It’s a regular practice.

Ask yourself:

What does success feel like in my body, not just in my inbox?
What would my week look like if it reflected my actual priorities?
What am I tracking, and is it helping or distracting me?

Design the Balance Before the System Designs You

You need a structure that protects your time before law school starts—not after. You need to know what hours are yours. What thoughts are yours. What parts of your identity aren’t up for negotiation.

You need:

Mornings that belong to you, not your inbox.
A body that isn’t treated like a taxi for your brain.
Relationships that don’t just tolerate your goals—but remind you who you were before them.

If you don’t set that rhythm early, the default will become your design. And once you’ve built your ego on that design, it’s much harder to undo.

Bonus: You Don’t Have to Be Chill to Be Balanced

There’s a trap that shows up, especially for high-performers.
We think if we’re anxious, tense, or reactive, we must be “off-balance.”

But balance doesn’t mean calm.
It means not losing the thread.

Tricia Hersey, in Rest is Resistance, reminds us: the system was not built for your healing.

So of course rest feels unnatural.
Of course silence feels boring.
Of course boundaries feel selfish.

That’s not a personal failure. That’s conditioning.

Balance isn’t a vibe. It’s a discipline.

One that protects your clarity, even when you don’t feel clear.
One that steadies you, even when you’re overwhelmed.

Balance isn’t just the absence of stress.

It’s the presence of structure, space, and sovereignty.

You build it by remembering, daily, that your life is not an accident.

It’s a design.

And it’s still yours to shape.

Author bio: Moshe Indig is the founder of Sharper Statements, a premier law school admissions consulting firm known for its depth, strategy, and results. A former litigator, Moshe helps aspiring lawyers craft powerful
narratives that reflect both who they are and where they’re headed—without sacrificing voice, clarity, or balance. Drawing from years of experience inside and outside the legal system, he teaches applicants to
center precision and authenticity in every part of the process. Read more at sharperstatements.com.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer, for a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Mindfulness vs. Ego: Finding Balance in a Digital World

Image of pawns with social media graphics with title "Mindfulness v. Ego: Finding Balance in a Digital World"

I spoke to a group of new law students this week and someone asked the best question about mindfulness and ego. I loved it because it showed a lot of courage and insight. The student asked me if mindfulness practice and blogging or social media are at odds because they contribute to ego.

The short answer I gave him is that this certainly can be a problem but it doesn’t have to be. I explained that anyone who writes or uses social media must learn some skills with managing their ego. And I explained how mindfulness practice can help with that.

After leaving the session, though, the question was still in my mind. It pointed to some fundamental questions about mindfulness and ego that I thought others might be asking. So in this post, I will explore mindfulness and ego a bit more deeply.

What Is the Ego?

Many of us use the word “ego” in conversation but we may not take the time to define the term. A common dictionary definition is “a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.” Most of us wouldn’t argue that a healthy sense of self-esteem is a good thing.

But when I hear the phrase “ego” uttered, it usually has a pejorative connotation. This is because, as most lawyers have observed, it is very easy to get an inflated sense of self-importance. In fact, our hyper-individualistic culture can contribute to this.

This is why it may be helpful to look at the psychological and clinical meaning of the ego. The Cleveland Clinic explains that it is the “part of your personality that helps you make practical, rational decisions.” It also supports your ability to:

adapt to your environment;
regulate your emotions; and
feel like yourself.

Viewed in this more neutral light, you can see that ego is a part of the human psyche that may serve an important function.

Image of dictionary definition of ego as stated in the post which is "a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance"

You Need a Healthy Sense of Self-Esteem

Given this, it would be a misunderstanding in my opinion to say that the goal of mindfulness practice is to overcome or eliminate the ego. In truth, as I have written before, I would be cautious about setting any specific goal for mindfulness practice at all.

Intention can be a wonderful guiding force to help motivate practice. Goals, however, often add a level of expectation that can undermine the cultivation of mindfulness.

In addition, high achievers like lawyers are encouraged to be cautious about pushing themselves too hard when it comes to self-improvement. If you are anything like me, you may need to learn to be kinder to yourself in meditation rather than more disciplined.

Along the same lines, some people may benefit from a more robust sense of self rather than a diminished one. This can include people with particular sensitivities, including histories of trauma or neurodivergence.

But It Helps to Get Clear about Your Life

With that said, mindfulness practices can help you explore the role of ego in your own life. As I have explained before, mindfulness practices are likely to help you explore the very concept of the self. Practicing mindfulness can help you see that “the self” to which you have grown accustomed is not a stable or static thing at all.

Taking time in your day to be present with your thoughts and feelings can give you an opportunity to become aware of patterns in your life. This can give you greater ability to notice, check, or even change some patterns that may not be ideal for you. It may also help you see the ways in which you are not separate from, but instead integrally connected with, others.

In many cases, you are bound to find (much like I have) that the ego is a present driving force in life. You may notice when a need to feel important or especially loved or better than others pushes you in ways that are not wholesome for you or other people. And even better, you may see ways that you can take care of your feelings and find greater connection with others in your life.

In all of these ways, mindfulness can help you understand yourself better, including the role of ego in your life. It can help you become clearer about your place in the world, so that you can navigate relationships more ethically. This can be a truly wonderful and life-changing part of the practice, but it is important to balance this inquiry with self-compassion.

Image of blog post author Claire E. Parsons with quote "Mindfulness practice doesn't mean we have to drop out of the world. It doesn't mean we can't pursue goals or things we love. It doesn't mean we have to change who we are."

Mindfulness, Ego, and Social Media

Given this clearer understanding, I want to return to the law student’s question to illustrate the concepts more clearly. The student asked whether things like blogging and social media are contrary to mindfulness practice because they can contribute to ego.

The operative word in this question is “can”. Most of us know that social media can certainly contribute to one’s sense of self-importance. We know that, depending on how it is used, social media is also associated with adverse mental health consequences and sometimes abhorrent conduct. Even if you aren’t a blogger, you may see how that can have the same effect. But I will say from experience that those things aren’t universally true.

For some people, blogging and social media might lead to unhealthy states of mind, like social comparison or perfectionism. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that those struggles sometimes happened for me. But I have learned to recognize when a striving attitude is taking hold and to give myself a break. I have adopted an attitude of fun and play when it comes to writing and the use of social media. I’ve also let go of expectations. If I have a goal, it is to share ideas and connect with others.

And in truth, I have had to learn how to navigate the negative aspects of social media too. I have had to learn how to not fight with strangers on the internet. I have hard to learn to state my opinions with humility and respect for the viewpoints of others.

In addition, I will be honest that blogging and social media have inspired a lot of humility in me. I have written so many things that never get read. I have had times where people criticize my writing. I have faced imposter syndrome so many times when I see talented people who do things better than me. In all these ways, blogging and social media have provided at least as many checks on my ego as they have provided temptations for it.

What Does This Tell Us about Mindfulness, Ego, and Pursuing Goals?

The big conclusion from all of this that most lawyers will care about is that I don’t think mindfulness practice means we have to get rid of our egos. Mindfulness practice doesn’t mean we have to drop out of the world. It doesn’t mean we can’t pursue goals or things we love. It doesn’t mean we have to change who we are.

Instead, mindfulness practice is really more about understanding ourselves more clearly so that we can engage in the world with greater kindness and skill. In this way, mindfulness practice is not inherently antithetical to the use of social media or to creating a robust body of work in the world.

The caveat here is that, of course, mindfulness practice should inspire you to watch the way you go about pursuing goals and crafting your body of work. It should cause you, at every turn, to consider the impact of these things on you as well as on the community around you.

If you practice mindfulness long enough, you inevitably will question yourself at times just like the law student questioned me. This part of the practice can sometimes be a gut check – or maybe an ego check – but it is one that has changed my life. And it is one that helps me stay honest on this blog and when I use social media. If you learn to make space for questions like these in your own mindfulness practice, they can change your life too.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Balance Isn’t What You Add—It’s What You Live By

Everyone thinks they’ll find balance after. After the LSAT. After admissions. After 1L. After biglaw. After they’ve proven something.

But that’s not how this works.

Balance isn’t the thing you reward yourself with once the chaos is over. Balance is the thing that prevents the chaos from defining you in the first place.

And if you don’t build around it from day one, you don’t “lose” balance. You forget what it ever felt like. You start confusing urgency for importance, burnout for ambition, and ego management for purpose.

Law Will Eat Whatever You Feed It.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: law has no off switch.

It doesn’t say “thanks, that’s enough.” It takes whatever you give it—your time, your identity, your weekends, your inner monologue—and then
it asks for more.

And in the beginning, that won’t bother you. Because you’ll feel focused. Serious. In control. Like you’re becoming the kind of person who “gets things done.”

But fast-forward six months, or six years, and you’ll find yourself living in a schedule that you didn’t design, speaking in a tone you didn’t choose, and wondering when exactly you started measuring your worth by output.

By then, it won’t feel like a choice. Because the system will have made itself feel inevitable.

Work-Life Balance Is a Lie. Try Life-Work Clarity.

“Work-life balance” suggests that work comes first—and you try to squeeze life around the edges. That’s the default framing in this profession. It’s the water everyone’s swimming in.

But if you keep that frame, you lose the plot. You end up designing your life around a job that was never meant to be your identity.

Let me be blunt:
Law school is not your life.
Being a lawyer is not your life.

Your rank, your GPA, your offer letter—they’re not your center. They’re orbiting objects. And if you confuse them for your anchor, you will drift.

What I teach my students—whether they’re writing a personal statement or rethinking their entire path—is this: your life is the primary text. Everything else is just annotation.

Image with quote from post that says "Balance isn't what you escape to. It's what prevents the chaos from defining you."

Your Nervous System Will Outlast Your Resume

You can get into a T14 by white-knuckling your way through the LSAT.
You can get biglaw by sacrificing your body to the job. You can impress professors, mentors, hiring committees—by bending yourself into whatever shape they expect.

But eventually, the bill comes due. In your joints. Your breath. Your friendships. The way you sleep. The way you speak to yourself when no
one’s around.

And no job title is worth that. Balance isn’t luxury. It’s protection.

It’s not about spa days or Sundays off. It’s about building a rhythm that doesn’t collapse when the pressure spikes. It’s about becoming someone who doesn’t need to “escape” their own life to feel okay.

Design the Balance Before the System Designs You

You need:

Mornings that belong to you, not your inbox.
A body that isn’t treated like a taxi for your brain.
Relationships that don’t just tolerate your goals—but remind you who you were before them.

If you don’t set that rhythm early, the default will become your design. And once you’ve built your ego on that design, it’s much harder to undo.

Final Truth: Law Doesn’t Deserve Your Life. You Do.

You don’t get extra credit for martyrdom. You don’t get a medal for disappearing into the system. You get a life—or you don’t.
Law can be a meaningful part of that life.

But only if you’re still in the driver’s seat. Only if balance isn’t an afterthought, but the foundation.

You are not here to survive law school. You’re here to live a life you’re proud of—one that law fits into, not one it consumes. The time to start thinking about that is now.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Join This Free Evening Meditation for Well-Being Week in Law

Image showing details for evening meditation for well-being week in law

Making things work is a skill that most lawyers have to learn. As a mindfulness teacher and practitioner, it’s a great skill for meditation too. Anyone who works in or around the law must find ways to fit our well-being practices into our busy lives. For this Well-Being Week in Law, I am leaning into making things work.

I’m really pleased that my friends at the Mindfulness in Law Society are supporting me in doing so. They asked me a while back to offer a guided meditation in honor of Well-Being Week in Law. I told them I would love to, but I had a hearing set the whole week.

Then I took a breath and got creative. I knew that my hearing would end by late afternoon. I also knew that it would be great for my well-being to have a reason to commit to meditation during that time. I pitched the idea of an evening meditation and MILS agreed.

Why Evening Meditation Is Great for Professionals in Law

The first reason why an evening meditation is great for lawyers is obvious. Evening practice allows lawyers to avoid cutting into their work day. Most mindfulness teachers recommend morning practice, but I have never been able to make that work.

The evening is when I can consistently find time to meditate. The good news is that there are several good things about evening practice. It can help you let go of the stresses of the day. Evening meditation can also help you relax your body and mind and prepare for sleep.

Evening meditation also offers a chance to reflect on the day. This means it can help you heal, recover, and course correct before tomorrow. While morning meditation can be great, evening meditation can be great for professionals in law.

Details for the Evening Meditation

When Is It: 7 PM EST / 4 PM PST

Who Can Join: Anyone in law or the legal profession. This includes law students and professors. Lawyers, regardless of practice status, and all staff who work for a law firm. Judges and their staff are also welcome to attend. Prior meditation experience is not required.

How to Join: Register on Zoom to get the meeting link.

Style of Practice: Light instruction will be offered before the guided meditation. We will set an intention for practice. The practice style will be a simple mindfulness of breath or other focal point. It will conclude with some metta (loving-kindness). The meditation should take about 20 minutes.

Join the Evening Meditation to Support Well-Being in Law

As I have written here before, community is essential for maintaining a mindfulness practice long-term. The theme for Well-Being Week in Law this year is social connection. Most of us working in law meditate on our own most of the time. The evening meditation on Thursday May 8th offers you a chance to practice mindfulness in community. I hope you will join us to support your own own well-being and that of other professionals in law.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

5 Ways to Decompress and Look After Your Mental Health When Applying to Law School

Image of student sorting through application with title for blog post "5 Ways to Decompress and Look After Your Mental Health When Applying to Law School"

It’s no secret that law students are seriously struggling—over 75% report increased anxiety, and over 50% experience depression. Other stats say a staggering 96% face significant stress—far more than medical students or other graduate students.

But the stress doesn’t start in law school—it begins long before. With admissions growing more and more competitive, students must craft applications that are both deeply personal and meticulously calculated.

They’re expected to be both authentically themselves and exactly what hard-to-impress admissions committees want to see. Balancing vulnerability with strategy, storytelling with structure, and passion with polish is exhausting.

And that’s only one hurdle. Students also juggle time-consuming extracurriculars designed to impress, competitive internships, near-perfect GPAs, months of LSAT prep, and applying to a dozen or more schools—all under the looming fear of rejection.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. While the pressure is real, there are ways to manage stress, protect your mental health, and set yourself up for success—strategies that can help you not just survive the process but maybe even beat the stats.

Prioritize Movement While Applying to Law School

It’s well-documented that regular exercise improves mental health, boosts emotional well-being, and lowers rates of anxiety and depression. It may sound too simple, but something as basic as walking around your neighborhood can help you decompress.

The science behind this link is complex. Some studies suggest exercise affects brain chemicals like serotonin, stress hormones, and endorphins, while others point to the connection between inactivity and mental health struggles. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is that movement helps!

But this isn’t about forcing a strict workout routine into your already packed schedule. Exercise shouldn’t feel like another obligation—it should be something you enjoy. Whether it’s walking, yoga, pilates, or light stretching, find what lets you take a breath and quiet your mind. You can pair it with binaural beats or calming music for added effect!

Express Your Emotions During the Law School Application Process

The emotions you experience during this process—stress, anxiety, frustration, self-doubt—are valid. Bottling them up will only make them feel heavier. Finding an outlet to release these emotions can help prevent them from spiraling into overwhelming anxiety or burnout.

Talking to someone—a friend, family member, or mentor—can be incredibly helpful. If speaking to someone isn’t for you, consider journaling. Writing your thoughts down, even if no one ever reads them, can be a cathartic way to process your emotions. The simple act of transferring your worries from your mind onto paper can create a sense of relief and perspective!

Image of Jesse Wang, guest contributor, with quote from the blog post "While the pressure is real when applying to law school, there are ways to manage stress, protect your mental health, and set yourself up for success—strategies that can help you not just survive the process but maybe even beat the stats."

Take a nap—Without Guilt to Support Your Mental Health

You don’t need me to tell you how important sleep is, but when you’re buried under deadlines and LSAT prep, it’s easy to sacrifice rest in the name of productivity.

While getting a full eight hours every night might not always be realistic, ignoring your body’s need for rest only makes the process harder in the long run. Instead of running on fumes (or another cup of coffee), give yourself permission to take a nap if you need one.

Even a short 20-minute reset can improve focus, memory, and mood. And if you need a full hour or two? Take it. The time you “lose” to sleep won’t make or break you, but being well-rested will make everything else feel a little more manageable.

If you are the kind of person who struggles to nap during the day, a quick meditation or a restful practice like restorative yoga might be great alternatives. Remember, rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Get Outside for a Mental Health Break

We’ve all heard the joke of telling people who are chronically online to “touch grass” as a reminder that there’s a real world beyond their screen. But it’s more than just a joke—literally walking barefoot on grass is a common grounding technique that can help reduce stress, lower anxiety, and bring you back to the present.

Studies have shown that spending even a few minutes in nature can lower cortisol levels and improve overall well-being. Even if going outside barefoot isn’t your forte, just getting outside—feeling the sun on your face, taking a deep breath of fresh air, or going for a quick walk—can do wonders for your mental health.

When stress keeps you stuck at your desk, a few minutes outside can be the reset you need to clear your mind, refocus, and feel a little more human again.

Zoom Out to Remember that Law School Application Is Just the First Step

It’s easy to get tunnel vision when applying to law school. Your success starts to feel like it hinges entirely on getting the right grades, getting into the perfect program, and getting that coveted job. However, defining success solely through academic and professional achievements can set you up for more stress and disappointment.

Creating a vision board that extends beyond law school can be a great way to maintain perspective. Think about what else makes you feel fulfilled—hobbies, travel, personal goals, new skills you want to learn.

By diversifying your definition of success, you remind yourself that your worth isn’t solely tied to your legal career. Plus, updating your vision board with small wins along the way can help you feel a sense of accomplishment throughout the journey, not just at the finish line!

Image sharing the 5 ways to manage stress and support mental health while applying to law school that were shared in the post

Final Thoughts

Stress is an unfortunate but inevitable part of the law school journey. You’re entering one of the most demanding careers, and the path to getting there isn’t any easier. But you don’t have to do it alone.

Juris Education can help shoulder the burden—guiding you through applications, essays, and interviews—so you can focus on putting your best foot forward without burning out.

At the same time, small habits can make a big difference. Moving your body, expressing your emotions, resting when needed, getting outside, and maintaining perspective can help you manage stress in a healthier way.

Law school will come with its own challenges, but building these habits now will set you up for success—both in your application process and in your future career!

Author Bio: Jesse Wang is a published author and attorney based in New York City. He completed a JD/MBA from the USC Gould School of Law, where he was Secretary of the Student Bar Association, Co-President of the Diversity Committee, and Founder and President of Gould’s Legal Technology Association. Prior to law school, Jesse graduated magna cum laude from Emory with a Bachelor’s in business administration with dual concentrations in information systems and operations management and marketing and Chinese language and literature. In 2020, he published a novel titled “Underdog” about his law school experience, as well as the experiences of classmates, professors, law school deans, and startup founders within the USC Gould legal community. Jesse has a strong track record of supporting students in their writing processes, having tutored both undergraduate and graduate students across various subjects. Jesse excels at providing comprehensive strategies for the admissions process. He helps students craft persuasive narratives, optimally structure their arguments, and leverage their unique qualities to make an impression on top-tier law schools. He is committed to helping students reach their goals and become part of the nation’s elite legal community. Having faced and overcome the challenges of applying to law school himself, he understands the stress and pressure students experience and works diligently to give them the best chance of success.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Join This Online Mindfulness Retreat for Lawyers

Image for online mindfulness retreat for lawyers

Most of the time, lawyers and other busy professionals can only get a few minutes a day of meditation or other mindfulness practice. This is nothing to scoff at because a few minutes a day of mindfulness can add up and offer benefits. Even so, a wonderful way to deepen mindfulness practice is to participate in a retreat.

Retreats offer community and an opportunity to explore extended periods of meditation. The problem, of course, is that busy people like lawyers may struggle to find the time. They may also feel a bit awkward about showing up to try such an intimate practice with people who feel like strangers.

Online Mindfulness Retreats Offer Flexibility for Busy Lawyers

The MILS Online Retreat, happening on October 26th, via Zoom offers a potential solution. I will be the first one to say that in-person retreats are superior to online retreats. In-person retreats offer the direct support of a group and there just isn’t a substitute to meditating when physically present with other people.

Online retreats, though, are an excellent option when in-person convening isn’t practical. In the case of Mindfulness in Law Society, with chapters and members spread across and outside of the United States, an online option is a good one. It makes the retreat more accessible to members with a range of time and life commitments.

The MILS Online Retreat Provides Lawyers a Community to Support Their Mindfulness Practice

As I have written before, cultivating a community around your practice is one of the best things you can do to support your mindfulness habit. I am lucky to have a local community where I can sit, study, and teach in-person with others. MILS, though, offers me a different kind of community.

Though much of my work with MILS has been online, it offers a community of other lawyers and those in the legal profession. This has helped me make contact with and get support from others in the legal profession who care about mental health and are interested in mindfulness.

The MILS Online Retreat Offers Lawyers a Chance to Try a Variety of Mindfulness Practices

With most meditation retreats, you will generally engage in a deep dive with one or maybe a few styles of practice. The MILS retreat is a little bit different. Because the MILS Online Retreat is led by several of the trained teachers who support the group, it has a variety of practices.

This means people who join in the MILS Online Retreat will get a chance to explore a variety of meditation practices. For example, this year, I plan to offer a “Jewel Tree” practice that I discovered in Ethan Nichtern’s new book on Confidence. This practice about drawing strength from one’s ancestors and mentors will be a nice complement to other meditation offerings.

Last year, the MILS Online Retreat also featured some movement practices, including walking meditation, qi gong, and gentle yoga practices. In this way, if the idea of sitting all day seems intimidating to you, the MILS Online Retreat is perfect because you will not be sitting all day.

The MILS Online Retreat Is Not Just for Lawyers

One other great thing: the MILS Online Retreat is not just for lawyers but for anyone in the legal profession. This includes lawyers, law professors, law students, judges, judicial staff, and paralegals.

Though membership in MILS is a prerequisite to participating in the retreat, the annual membership fee is not onerous. In addition, now MILS offers access to all members to a growing repository of online resources so that you can learn more about mindfulness.

Additionally, law students may join MILS and participate in the retreat for free.

How to Register and Join the MILS Online Retreat

To register and join the MILS Online Retreat, you can use the QR Codes in the image for this post. You can also find details and register at the MILS Events page here. If you aren’t a member, you will be prompted to join first and then you can register for the event.

After you are registered, you will get a Zoom link as the event date approaches and then you join by Zoom. If you can’t make the whole event, you can participate as you like and drop off whenever your schedule requires.

If you aren’t able to attend but are still interested in MILS, be sure to check out the MILS Virtual Sits. These are free guided meditation practices offered twice weekly via Zoom. Like other MILS events, they are open to lawyers and all others in the legal profession.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me and ask. I hope to see you there or at a MILS Virtual Sit soon.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

How to Be a Badass Lawyer Included on Lawyers Depression Project Book List

Last week, I was tagged on LinkedIn by a group with a similar aim to my own: the Lawyers Depression Project. They had compiled a list of mental health and well-being books by lawyers and for lawyers. I was glad to see that my own book, How to Be a Badass Lawyer, was on it.

I was also happy to see that some resources and people featured on the blog were mentioned too. I recently did a review of Rhonda V. Magee’s book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice. Last year, I also did an interview of neurodiversity in law advocate, Haley Moss. In addition, I have chatted with my friend and co-author of #Networked and Women in Law, Talar Herculian Coursey, about mindfulness and meditation teachers.

As a new author of a book only a few months old, I was proud to be have my book listed among those of friends. I was also pleased to see so many great resources out there for lawyers. Check out the list and let me know in the comments if you have read any of them.

If you are looking for more great books relating to mental health and mindfulness, check out our Brilliant Recommendations with book and product reviews.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Four Simple Words to Help You Start a Meditation Practice

This post was originally published as a guest piece for Constellation Marketing in July, 2021. It still rings true today and is perfect for anyone considering meditation for the new year.

I get all kinds of questions from lawyers who are interested in starting a meditation practice. It’s normal to have questions with anything new; and us lawyers love exploring things as concepts before we jump in with both feet.

So, they ask me all the things: how often should I sit? How long for each session? What’s the best app? Do I need a cushion? What if I can’t clear my mind? What if I get fidgety? And on and on. I answer these questions with understanding because I once had them too, but I think the best way to answer them all is with 4 simple words:

Just start.
Start small.

Why Getting Started Is Essential for Meditation

There are a many ways to learn about meditation. At first, I learned the practice from books and podcasts. Those offer great tips and tools, but nothing changed in my life until I started meditating consistently. That’s because meditation is an experiential practice – you have to do it to understand it.

It’s sort of like civil procedure. Do you remember how hard it was to make sense of the civil rules in law school from just reading about them? I do, but I’m a litigator now and they make sense (at least most of the time) because I have used the rules when litigating real cases. In much the same way, you will not fully understand meditation until you do it for yourself. So just start.

Learning the Right Way to Meditate Requires Experience

Maybe it’s true that you don’t know how to do it “right” but if you start to sit, you’ll notice things about your mind, your body, and your life. Over time, you will learn what it is right for you because you’ll notice what you need more or less of to be a happier, healthier person. Besides, in the beginning, all you really need to do is build up some tolerance for sitting and doing nothing, develop some inner resources for handling adversity, and get acquainted with your mind.

Don’t worry about doing it wrong because, if you make meditation a lasting habit, you will 100% do things wrong or learn that aspects of your practice need to change. That’s not just okay and part of being human, it is the path you have to take to learn any new skill, including meditation.

Starting Small with Meditation Makes Sense

If this sounds scary, remember that my next tip is to start small. And by this, I mean very small. If you can sit for 5 minutes right away, go for it. I started with 1 minute because it was all I could handle. My thoughts were copious and judgmental and doing nothing was not my forte. But I quickly discovered benefits from tolerating the awkwardness and added minutes until I eventually worked up to 30.

In other words, starting small doesn’t mean staying small. It’s just a foot in the doorway to a life with an active meditation practice. Once you get started and learn a few things, you can let your practice grow at a pace that works for you.

Starting Small Makes Sense for Lawyers

Starting small is not only less intimidating, it’s also practical. Small increments of time are easier to work into a busy calendar than big ones. In addition, short sessions are ones that you could conceivably do every day and that makes it much more likely that your experiment with meditation will become a habit.

Moreover, since the early part of practice is about building skills, you are less likely to get disgusted with yourself and meditation if you give yourself some time to adjust.

I love talking and writing about meditation. I love answering questions for other lawyers who want to learn how to bring mindfulness into their lives. But what I hope you get from this is that you don’t have to know everything (or honestly much of anything) about meditation to benefit from it.

Instead, what you really need is curiosity, a little bit of courage, some self-compassion, and an open mind. If you invoke those traits as you begin your practice, you will be able to answer questions about meditation and so much more for yourself.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Neurodiversity in Law Advocate, Haley Moss, Shares Her Thoughts on Extraordinary Attorney Woo

This blog usually encourages you to meditate, but in this post I’m going to make a recommendation that you may not expect: watch some Korean TV. You may have heard or watched Squid Game, but if that’s your only frame of reference you are missing out. Kingdom was a great political period drama but also with zombies. Rookie Historian was a great political period drama but also with the most deliciously awkward romantic subplot I have ever seen. Inspector Koo was a great mystery show but with a female detective so unruly she might make Veronica Mars laugh out loud and blush at the same time.

Even though I don’t really love legal TV dramas, this background compelled me to take note when my lawyer friends started to talk about Extraordinary Attorney Woo, now streaming on Netflix. I’m a school lawyer and have extensive experience with special education matters. One of the neat things I’ve seen evolve during the last decade is the increased attention to disability issues and neurodiversity in popular culture. As the show tells us, Attorney Woo is about a young attorney starting her practice in Korea but she’s an attorney who was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

The show is entertaining and it definitely has some of that delicious awkward romantic tension I loved from Rookie Historian. Critically, though, it also educates and advocates at the same time. When I saw this, Haley Moss immediately came to mind.

I have never met Haley, but I was supposed to in March, 2020 when we were both honored by Ms. JD. Unfortunately, the awards ceremony was the same week that states of emergency relating to COVID-19 began rolling out and so I never met Haley. Fortunately, though, I stayed connected with her and watched her work progress.

Haley is a leader on disability inclusion, autism and neurodiversity in the workplace, the author of 4 books, and, upon her swearing in, she became Florida’s first documented openly autistic attorney in 2019. At this point, she’s also an unofficial expert of Extraordinary Attorney Woo because she has been busy lately talking to numerous Korean press outlets about it.

I reached out to Haley to get her thoughts on the show. Here’s my brief interview with her:

Q: You’ve expressed a favorable reaction to Extraordinary Attorney Woo in past interviews, what about the show is exciting to you?

A: The show definitely pushed some boundaries in a good way, although it isn’t enough and it’s a trend that needs to continue. I love how Attorney Woo has “main character energy” and gets to grow and learn and be her best self like many nondisabled characters do. She isn’t a prop for someone else’s growth. She has friends, hobbies, family – very “typical” things like any other young lawyer should have.

There is a pivotal moment to me where she represents an autistic person and comments on autism perceptions throughout history and how 80 years ago we weren’t worthy of life apparently and casting doubt on Hans Asperger’s legacy (if you didn’t know: he’s problematic – and Woo calls it out!). The show has slowly pushed boundaries, especially by showing someone in the legal field, a woman no less, and that monologue really got me.

Q. Most of us know that lawyer TV shows aren’t always the most realistic, but was there anything about Attorney Woo that spoke to your experience as an attorney?

A: I can’t even comment on the realism too much since we know the Korean legal system and American legal system are not the same! But, how Attorney Woo approaches problem solving and is creative with a different thought process than her colleagues is most similar to what my experiences have been.

Q. In this blog, we focus on mindfulness and mental health topics for lawyers and professionals. What role, if any, does the representation of neurodiversity in popular media have on mental health?

A. Neurodiversity and mental health go hand in hand. I think that’s something that gets lost a lot in both the mainstream neurodiversity conversation and the mainstream mental health conversation – especially for lawyers.

Mainstream neurodiversity has an overarching focus on autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities that may require less workplace support or perceived as superpowers; traditionally this focuses on who society perceives as being more “desirable.” But what media representation we get out of autism, especially in popular media, is limited and often damaging; think Rain Man, a movie that is older than me and lives on in peoples’ minds about what autism is.

Lawyer mental health almost exclusively focuses on depression, anxiety, and substance use – which leaves out people with more highly stigmatized mental health conditions, and ignores the fact that nearly all of these conditions are forms of neurodivergence. In addition, most “traditional” forms of neurodivergence (for lack of a better word; i.e., autism, ADHD, learning disabilities) more often than not do have co-occurring mental health conditions.

Q: If the streaming higher powers bring us an American remake of Attorney Woo, what would you like to see done differently and why?

A: Well, I’d like to consult on it! There are known autistic attorneys in the U.S., so not inviting our perspective would be a massive faux pas. There are also no autistic actors, writers, directors, or creatives involved in the show, which is disheartening. Disability (and autism) representation in Hollywood has always been an inclusion issue that’s poorly addressed. How we’re portrayed also matters.

Q. What other shows, movies or other media (besides your own books which I already plugged) do you recommend for lawyers who want to learn more about neurodiversity at work?

A: I love some of the resources from Genius Within CIC , Victoria Honeybourne’s “The Neurodiverse Workplace,” (although it is a little UK-centric), and some big company employee resource groups are really doing great stuff. Unfortunately there isn’t a lot solely dedicated to lawyers but I am working hard to change that!

Have you watched Extraordinary Attorney Woo? What did you think about it? Leave us a comment to let us know.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media:

Launch: As It Turns Out, Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

I’ve honestly never been too into diamonds. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry. As a February baby, my birthstone is an amethyst. I didn’t pine for a big new diamond when I got married, and instead wanted my grandmother’s tiny chip which is conspicuously beefed up by a silver illusion top. So why does a diamond feature in this blog about mindfulness for lawyers?

I had been thinking about starting a blog like this for a while but couldn’t quite figure out what to call it. Eventually, I remembered one of the first articles I ever wrote about mindfulness for DRI called “Three Mindfulness Tools to Help You Care for Your Brilliant Legal Mind.” And there it was; the title “Brilliant Legal Mind” was perfect.

When I wrote that, I was using the word “brilliant” to mean what we always mean when we say that phrase: super smart, genius, talented, strategic, shrewd, analytical, incisive, and all those other things lawyers are supposed to be. But “brilliant” has some other meanings too.

First, it refers to the intensity of light. Second, it refers to the cut and clarity of a diamond. As you can probably gather, light and clarity are things that call back to mindfulness.

Diamonds are a pretty good symbol for lawyers too, since they had to survive stress and pressure to develop the toughness and shine we so adore. Mindfulness was the thing that helped me withstand the pressure of law practice and be refined, rather than cracked, by it. Over the years, it has helped me to lighten and clear up my own mind so I could be a better lawyer for my clients (not to mention a better person).

So I am pleased to launch the Brilliant Legal Mind blog. In this blog, I will offer practical tips for meditation practice, guided meditations, articles, stories, and ideas to help you incorporate mindfulness practices into your life and law practice. I hope it can help you bring light to your practice and clarity to you mind to help you be the brilliant lawyer you are.

Like this post? Subscribe to the blog here or follow us on social media: