The legal profession is known for high stakes and high stress, and the toll on lawyers' health and performance is well documented. Mindfulness, a form of attention training drawn from contemplative traditions and studied extensively by modern researchers, offers lawyers a practical way to respond to stress more skillfully, whether in a courtroom, at a negotiating table, or between calls.
In this TalksOnLaw interview, recorded in 2020, Joel Cohen speaks with Jon Krop, founder of Mindfulness for Lawyers and a former litigator and federal appellate clerk, about why legal work is so stressful, what mindfulness is and is not, and how busy lawyers can build it into the workday.
Why Lawyers Are Stressed
Krop explains the difference between motivating "eustress" and harmful distress, and why chronic stress impairs judgment, attention to detail, and self-control as well as health. Drawing on Dr. Martin Seligman's work, he describes three features of legal practice that contribute to lawyer unhappiness: low decision latitude, the trained habit of spotting what can go wrong, and the zero-sum nature of the adversary system. He cautions that stress is not only an individual problem and that legal employers share responsibility for the cultures they create.
What Mindfulness Is and What the Research Shows
Krop defines mindfulness as moment-to-moment awareness of present experience, explains why it is not "anti-thinking," and describes how practice creates space between an emotion and the response to it. He discusses research on stress, anxiety, and blood pressure, studies by Dr. Sara Lazar and Dr. Richard Davidson on changes in the brain, and why even modest daily practice produces measurable benefits.
Practices for a Lawyer's Day
Krop guides a short breath-awareness exercise and explains why noticing a wandering mind and returning is the practice itself. He covers formal practice of just a few minutes a day, "short sessions many times," mindful walking, driving mindfully, a labeling technique for acute stress that avoids both suppression and rumination, and a "mindful mini pause" that can be used during a call or meeting. The conversation also addresses alcohol use in the profession, mindfulness in law schools, and steps firms are taking toward broader well-being programs.
What to Know Now
More jurisdictions now treat lawyer well-being as part of mandatory continuing legal education. Minnesota began requiring at least one credit in mental health and substance use in each reporting cycle starting July 1, 2024, and states such as California, Nevada, and South Carolina already require credit in related areas. The ABA's Model Rule for Minimum Continuing Legal Education recommends one hour of mental health and substance use programming every three years, and the ABA's Well-Being Pledge for legal employers remains the profession's main framework for the kind of firm-wide programs discussed in this interview. Lawyers seeking confidential help can contact their state's Lawyer Assistance Program.
