Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2021
Abstract
Mindfulness is often touted in the legal field for its capacity to help reduce stress and improve focus through the management of distractions. However, the potential contributions of mindfulness practice for the legal profession extend beyond stress reduction' and include great promise for helping lawyers understand who they are as members of the legal profession - that is, their professional identity. This knowledge is empowering because it allows lawyers facing ethical quandaries to make choices that better align their professional values with their personal values, rather than aligning their personal values with professional values and societal expectations of success. In so doing, mindfulness practice has the capacity to help improve attorney well-being, uplift the level of professionalism throughout the field, and mitigate the need for attorney discipline.
Recommended Citation
Richard C. Reuben,
Beyond Stress Reduction: Mindfulness as a Skill for Developing Authentic Professional Identity, 89 UMKC Law Review 669
(2021).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/facpubs/996