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​Why Lawyers Can Benefit from Meditation

A lawyer’s professional life is often very difficult, and may involve moving between many different and sometimes conflicting roles.  For example, after a lawyer masters a complex matter and counsels clients on the pros and cons of particular actions, the lawyer must defend clients even if they have ignored the lawyer’s recommendations.  Moreover, lawyers are often required to work under great time pressure. The volume and time sensitivity of legal work often interferes with family life, pursuing self-care and other interests.  And, of course, a lawyer must not run afoul of legal ethics and other professional responsibilities.  

In light of these pressures, it is not surprising that  the 2017 Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being (Report) concluded that lawyers are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, stress, and substance abuse issues. Moreover, it also found that, even attorneys not suffering from mental health or substance abuse problem, are not thriving. The absence of well-being adversely impacts the health, cognitive abilities, and competence of attorneys, which detracts from their ability to act in accordance with ethical and professional obligations, and also interferes with the proper functioning of legal organizations.  

The Report urged leaders of the legal profession to take action to improve lawyer well-being, and provided detailed recommendations for accomplishing this goal.  Recommendations 8 and 20.3 provide that continuing education credit be given for well-being topics. Appendix B of the Report, which offers examples of appropriate well-being topics, specifically cites mindfulness meditation as a way to increase lawyer well-being:     

“A rapidly growing body of research on meditation has shown its potential for help in a variety of psychological and psychosomatic disorders, especially those in which stress plays a causal role.  One type of meditative practice is mindfulness - a technique that cultivates the skill of being present by focusing attention on your breath and detaching from your thoughts or feelings. Research has found that mindfulness can reduce rumination, stress, depression, and anxiety.  It can also enhance a host of competencies related to lawyer effectiveness, including increased focus and concentration, working memory, critical cognitive skills, reduced burnout, and ethical and rational decision-making.  Multiple articles have advocated for mindfulness as an important practice for lawyers and law students. Evidence also suggests that mindfulness can enhance the sense of work-life balance by reducing workers’ preoccupation with work.” 

Report at pp. 52-53 (Footnotes Omitted).   

The Report is important. Those in the legal profession will clearly benefit from introducing mindfulness (or other contemplative practice) into their busy, stressful lives because mindfulness helps people thrive.  Not only does meditation improve attention span and cognitive skills, it also has been shown to increase an individual’s sense of well-being as well as their ability to self-regulate, reduce stress, reduce unwanted habitual tendencies, and relate well to others.  Moreover, when meditation becomes part of the culture of legal organizations, the organizations themselves benefit from the improved performance of their workers, increased employee engagement, and decreased employee burn-out and turnover intention.  When the individuals who both lead and staff an organization are healthier, happier and easier to work with, the organization itself will be more successful in reaching its objectives.