IAHL Blog

This week's entry is from IAHL Board member Gretchen Duhaime

I am a very recent law school graduate (January 2010), and when I started school in the fall of 2006, I had no idea there were lawyers consciously practicing in a holistic or even collaborative way. Sure, I knew lawyers that did mediation (I used one for my divorce in 2004), and some lawyers I knew seemed like nice folks, but no one I knew talked about the practice of law being damaging to lawyers or needing to change.

When I started law school, my goal was to learn how to be a better advocate and use the system to the advantage of those who had been downtrodden by workaday life. I had spent ten years in the business world, in a variety of industries (including not-for-profit), and everywhere I worked, everyone was unhappy and dis-integrated. I wanted to use my holistic training to help, but I didn't feel empowered enough without some type of advanced degree to give me credibility.

As I progressed through law school I learned more about the legal profession and how unhealthy and unhappy lawyers are compared to other professions. I decided to make lawyers my focus, and I developed a wellness model that is easy for lawyers to understand and adopt as part of their daily lives. Last May, I launched Practicing on Purpose LLC, wellness stewards for the legal profession.

Next Monday, February 8, we're launching the Legal Wellness Tour, bringing our programs and workshops throughout the continental U.S. I hope to see you at one of our workshops or IAHL meetups (take a look at our schedule at http://www.practicingonpurpose.com/tour where you'll find registration information). If you'd like to organize an informal IAHL meetup in your city, drop me a line at gretchen@practicingonpurpose.com (it's simple to organize, just let me know of a good place to have a meetup).