Are YOU A Renaissance Lawyer?

By J. Kim Wright & Kevin B. Ginsberg

"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come."                               
                                                                                                                                                    Victor Hugo


Do you like to solve problems?
Do you like to use your creativity to help people?
Are you interested in being a pioneer?

Most people reading this site probably answered yes to all of these questions, because we have found that most lawyers are creative, pioneering problem solvers who like to help people.  In fact, we also make the following assumptions about lawyers:  

• most lawyers go to law school because of a deep desire to help people and make the world a better place;
• most lawyers are intelligent, good hearted people who are capable of making a difference;
• most lawyers find it difficult, if not impossible, to have their law practice match their highest ideals because of the high levels of stress that have come to demark the practice of law;
• most lawyers, therefore, either leave the practice of law, or lose touch with their highest ideals and practice law as a means to making a living rather than as a vocation.

A Juris Doctor is a degree that opens an overwhelming number of career doors for lawyers who wish to work inside, outside and around the law.  While no one guarantees that it will be easy, using your law degree to create a successful and fulfilling career, even the career of your dreams, is entirely possible. 

In the last few years, a movement in the law has gained momentum. Around the country, creative, intelligent, good-hearted, pioneers have applied their problem-solving skills to the legal system to expand the choices available to lawyers and to clients. This movement is known by many names: visionary law, transformational law, comprehensive law, etc. We call it renaissance law. While many lawyers have taken to "Running From the Law" [title of a book by Deborah Arron, Decision Books] because of the stressors built into the system of law practice, these new approaches are renewing excitement for working in the law, making more options in law practices available.  We are sharing information about this movement in an effort to inform you of many exciting trends and possibilities for your law practice so that you can determine whether or not you should be a Renaissance Lawyer.

First: What is a Renaissance Lawyer?

Renaissance Lawyers are willing to step outside the box. They don’t think they have to fit into the traditional adversarial system. They share a vision of a legal system that considers the human element. They create answers to legal problems that work for everyone involved. They make sure that their practices work for them and their families too.   A Renaissance Lawyer is committed to creating a legal system that works for everyone by creating and implementing innovative and effective ways to resolve conflicts and utilize the legal system in a way that has clients, lawyers, judges and society all winning.  Renaissance Lawyers are agents for transformation of conflict. In short, a Renaissance Lawyer is the kind of lawyer you envisioned yourself being before you went to law school and entered the "real world" of law practice.

There are many ‘renaissance lawyers’ out there and we invite you to develop yourself as one.  If you are still reading this, chances are you are the kind of lawyer that would make a great Renaissance Lawyer.

A Matter of Choice, A Matter of Integrity, A Matter of Balance

Until now, most of us have considered the real world of law practice to be nothing but litigious, confrontational and stressful. We all hear the stories of lawyers having substance abuse issues, depression, and high divorce and suicide rates. The "crisis" in the legal profession may just be about a perceived lack of choices in the profession.  Most of us think we are either litigators, as we are trained to be in law school, or we do some boring paperwork in a room full of files, out of touch with human beings.  There are dozens of other options, not just outside or around the law, but right smack in the middle of it!

In law school, many of us feel that those human and compassionate elements were removed. We put our own values on the back burner. And, we learned that our clients’ values didn’t matter either. We were taught that precedent was king. We didn’t feel like we had a lot of choice about how things went in law school or how the legal system was designed.

The legal profession is about integrity.  We define integrity as "being whole and complete with no parts missing."  Of course, it is also about being ethical, living by your values, keeping your agreements.  Most people attracted to the law have a sense of what is in integrity and when the system does not align with that experience of integrity, we begin to think there is something wrong with us or with the legal system.  When we make choices that are out of integrity for us, our lives lose balance and are unfulfilled. When we make choices that are in integrity for us, the quality of our lives and our satisfaction with our jobs and the rest of our lives improve. 

Who Are These Renaissance Lawyers?

Here are vignettes of this innovative breed of lawyer to give you an idea of the range of new and innovative ways lawyers are practicing law.  

• Stuart Webb, a Minnesota lawyer, was practicing family law and was looking at leaving the profession when he had a better idea. He created a new model of practicing, called Collaborative Law. In collaborative law, attorneys work collaboratively with the parties to achieve a win/win solution for everyone. Information is shared and the parties actually sign a contract, agreeing that they will not litigate during this process. When disagreements arise, often outside experts [financial planners, therapists, child advocates, etc] are brought in to help create a solution that will work for the entire family. If no resolution is reached, the lawyers withdraw and new lawyers must be retained. There are now over 3,000 collaborative lawyers and Stu practices and trains others to practice collaborative law. [See the section on Collaborative Law.]

• Stefani Quane is a holistic and collaborative lawyer in Seattle, Washington.  She practices wills, trusts, estate planning, and family law.  In addition, she "humanizes the process" with celebratory will signing ceremonies and divorce closure ceremonies.  Says Stefani of her practice: "I am committed to humanizing the legal process. My mission is to bring heart to the law by blending law with ceremony. I laugh with my clients, am compassionate to their pain and hold a vision of the law which is soft and celebratory. I strive to be different by adding beauty, grace, and joy to the practice of law. Like a holistic physician, I view situations in context and support you in making the best decision for you. I don't presume to know what is best for you. I am committed to healthy living which includes yoga, rock climbing and meditation. I believe in keeping my life balanced so that I am at my best when working for you." [See www.lawlady.com] 

• Arnie Herz is a New York City business attorney who integrates meditative and holistic principles and practices into his daily life as well as into his practice of law.  The result has been a highly successful law practice and a reputation as a lawyer who is effective for his clients and aligned with deep spiritual values.  He has a highly satisfied clientele because he helps his clients view their legal situations in the context of their whole life rather than in a vacuum as an isolated legal issue.  Says Arnie, "Legal matters come in countless forms, affecting people in every walk of life, and in every social strata. Yet all legal clients have one thing in common - an element that is crucial to the success of their cases, but which in traditional law firms is almost always ignored. That element is the client themselves." [See www.arnieherz.com]

·        Jill Dahlquist, a former public interest attorney in Wisconsin, uses group energetic healings to help clients find "soul based reasons" that they attract the legal problems that they have. [See www.grouppeace.com.] 

·        Maureen Holland, an employment lawyer in Memphis, Tennessee, turned from a "pit-bull-win-at-all-costs lawyer" to a holistic lawyer who litigates with compassion and kindness.

·        Jennifer Tull practices law in Austin, Texas and operates a retreat for women who are divorcing or ending relationships.  Her Ariadne’s Thread retreats [www.aspaforthesoul.com]  incorporate Jennifer’s yoga practice and provide an outlet for her to bring a more holistic healing approach to her work.

There are hundreds of them out there, maybe thousands or even tens of thousands. They are lawyers who are designing their legal careers with integrity, being true to themselves and making a difference in their communities.  

OK, This All Sounds Great, But How Do I Really Do That?

Make the commitment.

Commit to transforming one part of your life or the whole world. Start where you are comfortable. Then, work on stretching your comfort zone.

Get connected.

 Yes you have to take risks and be a pioneer to be a true Renaissance Lawyer these days, but you don't have to start from scratch or recreate the wheel.  There are dozens of visionary models, trends and approaches to transforming your law practice. It is actually considered to be a cutting edge approach that is increasingly being reported in bar journals and mainstream media. There are groups of practitioners in some cities and support systems for finding like-minded lawyers. Explore this web site and get connected with various approaches. Join us and learn more about this movement.

Create reminders and put in systems to remind you of your commitment.  

* Put one action in your daily calendar each day.
* Have tangible reminders such as coffee mugs, calendars, wall hangings, etc. in your office that remind you of your commitment.
* Surround yourself with like-minded others. Not just lawyers but holistic thinkers of all kinds--but make sure some are lawyers even if you have to create long distance relationships at first.
* Attend Special Interest Groups, take teleclasses, etc.

Get a coach, mentor or another committed listener to support you with challenges.  

Schedule regular appointments.  Make promises to other people about goals you will achieve. Set deadlines for accomplishments. Most of us don't keep promises we secretly make to ourselves. Tell someone else and you will be more likely to keep your promise.

Begin to align your actions with your values. Live congruently.

This takes practice. First listen to yourself to identify what is most important to you, not what you should do, not what you feel obligated to do, but what really is important to you. As you act more and more consistently, your life and your law practice will begin to change and you will find your life and practice aligning with what is important to you.

Deal with failures; they are inevitable. Become unstoppable.  

Like all human beings, lawyers like to succeed. Sometimes we avoid taking on projects if we don't know we will succeed. Learning to deal with failures, even to seek them out and embrace them, can be transformative.  

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Edison.

Share your success and challenges with others.

 Speak, write. Become a mentor or coach. Lead CLE. Become a leader in your bar association and speak out. This will actually help you fine-tune even more. If you have to share it, it becomes real for you. Communicating it requires you to distinguish details you might have missed. Become known in your community as a peacemaker, healer and problem-solver. Give away your transformation.

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