Contemplative Lawyering
Fall 2015 Syllabus
Tuesdays 9:00 am – 10:50 am
Zief 017
Professor Tim Iglesias
Kendrick 314
Welcome to Contemplative Lawyering, a course combining contemplative practices and the practice of law. I look forward to working with you and assisting you to develop your own contemplative approach to the practice of law.
Assigned Materials: All course materials will be posted to the class TWEN page. Assignments will be announced either in class or via TWEN at least a week before each class meeting.
TWEN Website: Please register at the class TWEN website using an email address that you check frequently. I envision using the TWEN website for the following purposes: distributing course materials and collecting assignments; communicating with you between class meetings; offering optional enrichment materials; and enabling you to continue our class discussions and to share thoughts, poems, quotes, music, links or other resources with me and your classmates.
Class Description and Overview: The course is divided into three parts: one class for introduction to the course, twelve classes on particular topics, and one class for closure. The course will expose you to the contemplative practices of a variety of wisdom traditions (both religious and secular) so you can develop your own contemplative practice. Your contemplative practice will help you hone a variety of human capacities and skills.[1] These human capacities and skills overlap with many essential lawyering skills.[2] For this reason, these human capacities and skills can be consciously and deliberately applied to your work and roles as a lawyer with clients, colleagues, staff, opposing counsel, judges, juries and others. We’ll make these connections throughout the course through readings, class discussion, in-class exercises, personal reflection, and guest speakers. Finally, development of these human capacities and skills will enable you to align the practice of law with your values and to participate in leadership roles in your communities.
Course Objectives:
- Knowledge: You will read about and experience a variety of contemplative practices. You will understand the relationships between human capacities and skills and lawyering skills. You will become familiar with methods for applying contemplative practices to the practice of law.
- Skills: You will develop a basic capacity to perform a variety of traditional and contemporary contemplative techniques and practices. You will develop (at least) one contemplative practice more deeply. Your practice will enable you to cultivate certain human capacities and skills. You will develop a capacity to apply contemplative practices to traditional lawyering skills and to reflect usefully on these experiments.
- Values: You will also be exposed to the core values of legal professionalism. You will use contemplative practices to explore these values. You will have opportunities to clarify, rediscover/recover, and ground yourself in your own ethics and values so that you can honor them in your legal practice.
Course Requirements: Your performance in this class will be evaluated on a credit/no credit basis. You are expected to attend all classes (including being on time); to participate in class activities and discussions; to complete all assignments (including assigned reading and turning in journal entries on time); to develop a contemplative practice; to complete a brief final reflection paper; and to be faithful to class commitments (to be defined by the class). If a student misses more than two class meetings, I will require a makeup class with me for each class missed in lieu of seeking administrative withdrawal.
Office Hours: My office hours will be immediately after each class and on Thursdays from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. In addition to these office hours, I am often in my office and you are welcome to drop by. Also, I am available by appointment. Should an appointment be necessary, please call or email me to schedule one. Your message should offer dates and times that you are available to meet.
Class Topics:
August 25: What is Contemplative Lawyering?: Connecting Contemplative Practices to a Life in the Law
September 1: Balance & Body
Guest: Seph Petta, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
September 8: Self-Knowledge
September 15:Habits & Patterns
September 22: Emotions
September 29: Communication
October 6: Time, Technology, Transitions and Waiting
October 13: Power, Conflict & Competition
Guest: Jeena Cho, JC Law Group PC
October 20: Acknowledgement, Letting Go & Forgiveness
October 27: Discernment
November 3: Compassion; Acceptance of Self, Others & the Human Condition
November 10: Engagement
November 17: “Balancing” Work and the Rest of Life
November 24:Closure class
[1] These human capacities and skills include: focusing attention without distraction; listening and explaining with open-mindedness and patience; respecting and empathizing with other people; problem-solving creatively; facilitating productive communication among adversaries; dealing safely and constructively with conflict; and engaging in honest and fearless reflection, self-awareness, self-regulation and self-correction.
[2] These lawyering skills include: communication skills (speaking, listening, and writing); reading and analysis; counseling and negotiating; advocacy (both in and out of the litigation context); and relationship building and nurturance.