{"id":8594,"date":"2019-01-05T14:06:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-05T22:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/elizabethbadersblog\/?p=8594"},"modified":"2023-07-06T18:00:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T01:00:17","slug":"law-and-spirituality-a-lawyers-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/elizabethbadersblog\/law-and-spirituality-a-lawyers-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Law and Spirituality: A Lawyer’s Path I"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Elizabeth<\/a>This post discusses law and spirituality. It is the first part of a chapter in an American Bar Association (ABA) book, Best Lawyer You Can Be: A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness (2018),<\/a> by Stewart Levine. \u00a0 Strategies for dealing with the trauma of law and lawyering can be found in a second installment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lawyering as a Spiritual Path, The Importance of Balance and Reflection<\/h4>\n

Many years ago, I represented a man with multiple sclerosis in a disability-related case against a public entity. Even with his faltering voice and body, this man emanated dignity, strength and kindness.\u00a0\u00a0 When I lost his case, I laid my head down on my desk and cried.<\/p>\n

In a classic example of overconfidence,[i]<\/a> I had not anticipated the loss.\u00a0 My tears were the result of having my hopes for him, and, implicitly myself, shattered.<\/p>\n

In retrospect, I see this case as an early inkling that in the course of my career, I would confront human suffering, evil, and many other difficult facets of life.\u00a0 It would sometimes be quite painful.<\/p>\n

In this chapter, I share some of my thoughts on this challenge, and how to deal with it.<\/p>\n

Working with Human Nature: A Lawyer\u2019s Difficult Task<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is well known that many lawyers are unhappy.\u00a0 Many drink. Many kill themselves.[ii]<\/a><\/p>\n

It is certainly true that each individual\u2019s psychological problems contribute to these tragic statistics.\u00a0 However, the crisis in the profession also arises out of a spiritual problem\u00a0 \u2014 one that relates directly to what we do as lawyers.<\/p>\n

By \u201cspiritual problem\u201d I mean (1) a fundamental human dilemma, (2) that cannot be resolved solely by psychological means (3) but may be worked through or transcended through spiritual or reflective practices, perhaps in conjunction with psychological strategies.<\/p>\n

The Crisis in the Profession as a Spiritual Crisis<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00a0Just as some in the medical profession have begun to question why their profession has historically avoided questions related to physicians\u2019 encounters with death,[iii]<\/a> \u00a0it is time for the legal profession to recognize that lawyering calls into question our relationship to suffering, to each other, to life. <\/em><\/p>\n

Like physicians who must deal with illness and death every day, lawyers routinely deal with human greed, ego and selfishness.\u00a0 Then, there is our own selfishness and our own egotism \u2014 perhaps the most painful parts of this dilemma.\u00a0 When a lawyer continually strives to \u201cwin\u201d while others lose, human goodness and human connectedness can fade into oblivion.\u00a0 A person may gain the world but lose his soul. \u00ad<\/p>\n

\n

[i]<\/a> I have spoken and written extensively on overconfidence, and other issues of \u201cface,\u201d self-esteem and self-identity in conflict resolution. For example, see my article, \u201cThe Psychology of Mediation: Issues of Self and Identity and the IDR Cycle,\u201d<\/em> 10(2) Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal 183 (2010), and my article, The Psychology and Neurobiology of Mediation<\/em>, 17(2) Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution 363 (2016). For a full list of publications, see https:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/publications-list\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a> See Rosa Flores and \u00a0Rosa Marie Arce, \u201cWhy are lawyers killing themselves?\u201d<\/em> http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2014\/01\/19\/us\/lawyer-suicides\/<\/a> (January 20, 2014).<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a> See Altul Gawande, What doctors don\u2019t learn about death and dying<\/em>, on Ideas.Ted.com, available at http:\/\/ideas.ted.com\/death-and-the-missing-piece-of-medical-school\/<\/a> October 31, 2014.<\/p>\n

\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The opening of Elizabeth Bader’s chapter in a book published by the American Bar Association. Discusses the inevitability of lawyers encountering human suffering. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,117,79,55,78],"tags":[118,119],"class_list":["post-8594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law-and-spirituality","category-lawyers-and-spirituality","category-psychology-of-conflict-resolution","category-the-spiritual-journey","category-understanding-spirituality","tag-law-and-spirituality","tag-spirituality-and-law","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\nLaw and Spirituality: A Lawyer's Path I<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This post begins by discussing Elizabeth Bader's encounter with the realities of human suffering early on in her career. 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