Blog

Creativity

Creativity is important for teamwork, visioning and thinking about options for settlement. Opening to both sides of the brain is a trip for many of us.

Creativity comes from listening to the wisdom of the heart and following intuition.  It can also be cultivated by accessing unfamiliar parts of the brain through movement, art and other pleasurable activities.  For me, it was writing.

I was introduced to The Artist’s Way and Julia Cameron by my coach.  Automatic writing of “Morning Pages” opened a portal for me to myself.  A story came out. I could look at it objectively and see myself for who I really am.  That changed everything. I was able to see my heart qualities and my history. It gave me confidence and courage to be myself, and mostly, appreciation for this life and my profession.

Lawyers are analytical and critical by nature, education and conditioning. That’s the predominant view of law practice. Thankfully there are new paradigms that have arisen since the beginning of mediation in the '70s through collaborative practice and the many ways law practice continues to evolve.

J. Kim Wright chronicles the “Global Integrative Law Movement” in her recent book Lawyers as Changemakers.  She has traveled the world and interviewed and worked with hundreds of lawyers who are practicing and thinking about the law in new ways.

Kim has synthesized all of these stories into 4 common threads that characterize these lawyers.

1. Mindfulness and Reflective Practices
2. Integrity, Purpose and Values
3. Systems Thinking
4. Harbingers of a New Consciousness

I feel so blessed to be part of this community and so hopeful for how we can help families and heal the law.