Research Guides: Grit &amp; Resilience: Well-Being for Law Students and Lawyers: Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Mindfulness refers to focusing attention on and being present in the current moment. Forms of meditation are used to train the mind and center attention on immediate conditions. Mindfulness approaches can relieve stress and anxiety.

Mindfulness for Law Students by Scott Rogers
Call Number: KF287 .R64 2009
This title introduces law students to fundamental contemplative practices as well as research that shows how incorporating mindfulness techniques can alter the physical structure and function of the brain to reflect decreased levels of stress, increased levels of productivity, and improved mental health.
Mindfulness and Professional Responsibility by Scott Rogers & Jan Jacobowitz
Call Number: KF287 .R63 2012
This book offers an overview of the practice of mindfulness, a look at the neuroscience research exploring its benefits, and a historical look at mindfulness in legal education. Readers will find mindfulness enhances the educational process, serves as a critical component in decision-making, and is an important life skill.
Mindfulness by Mark Williams & Danny Penman
Call Number: RC489 .M43 W55 2012
A set of simple yet powerful mindfulness practices to incorporate into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion. Based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), the book revolves around a straightforward form of mindfulness meditation which takes just a few minutes a day.
The Anxious Lawyer by Jeena Cho & Karen Gifford
Call Number: KF298 .C47 2016
The Anxious Lawyer is a straightforward introduction to meditation and mindfulness for those engaged in the practice of law. Readers will be guided through an eight-week program with the aim of establishing an ongoing meditation practice.
The Inner Advantage by Patton Hyman
Call Number: BF637 .M56 H96 2016
Cultivate undistracted awareness or presence in a way that can be applied in every situation, whether work related, recreational or in family life. Find a positive way of working with fear that is energizing and how mindfulness helps with decision-making and other specific activities in business, law, and other professional pursuits.

Educating Lawyers to Meditate?
Rhonda Magee, Educating Lawyers to Meditate?, 79 UMKC L. Rev. 535 (2010).
Mindful Lawyer Symposium
The Mindful Lawyer Symposium issue, 61 J. Leg. Educ. 634 (2012), features articles on mindfulness in trial advocacy, professional identity, morality, and law school.
The Contemplative Lawyer
Len Riskin, The Contemplative Lawyer: On the Potential Contributions of Mindfulness Meditation to Law Students, Lawyers, and their Clients, 7 Harv. Negotiation L. Rev. 1 (2002).
Mindfulness: Foundational Training for Dispute Resolution
Leonard L. Riskin, Mindfulness: Foundational Training for Dispute Resolution, 54 J. Legal Educ. 79 (2004).
Life Experience and Cognitive Science Deepen the Case for Mindfulness in the Law
Rhonda V. Magee, Life Experience and Cognitive Science Deepen the Case for Mindfulness in the Law, ABA J., Jan. 1, 2016.
The Science of Mindfulness
The Science of Mindfulness, Mindful.org, Sept. 7, 2020.

Guided meditation

Scott Rogers, founder and director of the University of Miami School of Law's Mindfulness in Law Program, researches cognitive science, mindfulness, and their relation to law study and practice. In a series of YouTube Channels, Professor Rogers shares guided practices that engage sight, sound and touch. Explore channels for the Mindful Law Student and the Mindful Lawyer. Try the brief exercise: Order in the Cortex.

Programs at other law schools

Miami Law - Mindfulness in Law Program
This University of Miami School of Law site has resources, publications, research, and exercises on mindfulness and legal practice. Link to their recorded series, "Mindfulness Practice for the Legal Community During COVID-19."
Berkeley Law - Mindfulness in Legal Education
This guide gathers reading lists, resources, and videos on mindfulness and the law. View presentations on mindfulness as it intersects with quality of justice and restorative justice.
Loyola Law School - Mindfulness: Programs for Mindfulness
In addition to reading lists, this guide gathers links to audio and video exercises offering guided practice sessions.

Temple University

University Libraries

See all library locations

Need help? Email us at asktulibrary@temple.edu