idealawg

Suddenly Solo is theme for this month's LAW PRACTICE TODAY

2009-07-15T15:43:07-06:00

Click to read July's issue of Law Practice Today. Article topics for solos include marketing, technology, Web resources, employing staff, and billing.

Interview with Sue Smalley, founder of UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center

2009-07-15T09:54:30-06:00

In this interview, you will read the story about what led Dr. Smalley to meditation and to the founding of MARC. From What Inspired A Scientist To Open A Meditation Center At UCLA? (Huffington Post):

PF [Patricia Fitzgerald]: So for 25 years you were immersed in fascinating research at UCLA. And now you are the founder and director of the MARC Center. Seems like a complete 360, but I'm sure there's an interesting story behind the switch.

SS [Sue Smalley]: Patricia, I received a real wake up call when I was diagnosed with an early stage melanoma. It was a big shock. I thought I was going to die. I really reevaluated my life. I realized that I was doing everything Western medicine said keeps you healthy (working out, diet, etc.) and yet I was not preventing myself from getting 'sick'. The shock of the diagnosis and the fear of death really brought me to a heightened awareness.

PF: What was your life approach before this heightened awareness?

SS: I didn't think about trying to heighten my sense of consciousness in any way. I thought, yeah, learn more, read more, study more, talk to people, everything's in books, everything's out there in a reason-based world. Just follow it.

I gave zero time to places that would increase intuition, or enhance insight, ignoring what is probably a core component of wisdom. I was just running around constantly doing, doing, doing, and trying to soak up knowledge from books and experiments and science.

Click to read the rest of the first part of the interview.

For those of you interested in psychology: The Next Big Questions in Psychology

2009-07-14T19:44:18-06:00

I know many of you like to follow the field of psychology so here's a treat for you. The Association for Psychological Science's journal Perspectives on Psychological Science just published an edition on The Next Big Questions in Psychology; you can read two dozen articles at the link. From the editor Ed Diener:

In this issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, we learn what leading psychologists believe are the next big research questions in their respective fields.Two dozen of our most outstanding scholars to tell us what they believe are the most important questions to be asked in the upcoming decade. Not unexpectedly, the contributions are wide ranging both in content and in the way the authors framed the question of what is important. The range of articles, from psychoneuroimmunology to human-android interactions, clearly indicates the enormous scope of psychology. My hope is that both freshly minted and senior scientists alike might gain from these insights into the research they should pursue in the years ahead.

Click to read the articles.

These are appearing with some frequency: Another article on the benefits of meditation for lawyers

2009-07-14T18:45:11-06:00

This one is in Shambala Times. From "Meditation for Professionals":

[Patton Hyman's] path had been a bit different. As a partner in an Atlanta law firm, he found a natural confluence between his job and meditation. “It never seemed like a conflict to me. Meditation shows us how to wake up and be present, and that can happen anywhere, even when working to negotiate messy legal disputes and complex transactions.” ...

...

Often, the challenges people face in their working life are particular to their profession. Musicians encounter stage fright – it’s a practical, vivid, and essential part of their livelihood. But if they don’t have a way of working with that fear, they may freeze up or get too speedy. One trial lawyer realized that before he started doing mindfulness meditation, he had no idea how much was going on in the courtroom that he wasn’t aware of. Even transactional lawyers who do a lot of negotiation can use mindfulness to pick up on all kinds of clues and cues. By listening to what the other side says and how they say it, they find they can see what’s going on with people and discover solutions that might not previously have been apparent.

Click to read the rest of "Meditation for Professionals."

Recent journal of a young lieutenant in Afghanistan—and his obituary

2009-07-14T11:43:50-06:00

This journal is worth reading. From "Mark Evison: 'We are walking a tightrope in Afghanistan'" (Telegraph):

Lieutenant Mark Evison, who died in May from wounds received in Afghanistan, kept a remarkable journal - published here for the first time - about the harsh realities of fighting in Helmand. His mother Margaret explains why she has set up a foundation to keep his name and achievements alive.

Brave, considerate, amusing, a talented musician and a gifted sportsman, 26-year-old Lieutenant Mark Evison was rated the best platoon commander in the Welsh Guards by senior officers. To the men in his command their dashing leader was "007". In April, he was sent to Helmand province, Afghanistan. There he kept a journal, a vivid and unique document detailing daily life at the front, from the longing for fresh food to the fear of making the wrong decision. Four weeks later he was dead.

Click to read the journal.

Click to read Mark Evison's obituary.

Blawg Review #220: Good analysis and good writing make for a good (and quiet) read

2009-07-13T10:44:30-06:00

I was relieved when I arrived at this Monday's Blawg Review at Overlawyered and saw that there was no theme. It was pleasant to read Blawg Revew #220 straight through and not be distracted. Reading some of the themed Blawg Reviews has been like going to a restful bookstore where a cacophonous circus has strangely taken over. Not that many of them have not been very clever but some have taken too much energy to follow; I did not finish reading. This week's is what I want most from Blawg Review: a thoughtful and complete review of last week. Nice job!

Are you swearing enough? Damn! I don't think I am

2009-07-13T09:16:15-06:00

This research made me laugh. Then swear. Here's the abstract from NeuroReport:

Although a common pain response, whether swearing alters individuals' experience of pain has not been investigated. This study investigated whether swearing affects cold-pressor pain tolerance (the ability to withstand immersing the hand in icy water), pain perception and heart rate. In a repeated measures design, pain outcomes were assessed in participants asked to repeat a swear word versus a neutral word. In addition, sex differences and the roles of pain catastrophising, fear of pain and trait anxiety were explored. Swearing increased pain tolerance, increased heart rate and decreased perceived pain compared with not swearing. However, swearing did not increase pain tolerance in males with a tendency to catastrophise. The observed pain-lessening (hypoalgesic) effect may occur because swearing induces a fight-or-flight response and nullifies the link between fear of pain and pain perception.

More about the research in an article from CYV.ca.

Blog Glob: "Lawsuit challenges policy that lets some grads skip bar exam"

2009-07-13T08:20:49-06:00

Excerpt:

A federal appeals court has revived a class-action lawsuit that challenges Wisconsin's diploma privilege, a one-of-a-kind policy that allows graduates of the state's law schools to practice law here without taking the bar exam.

U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard A. Posner's decision raised several questions about the state practice - causing Wisconsin law schools to prepare evidence as the case goes forward.

The plaintiffs, graduates of Oklahoma City University School of Law, argued the policy violates the commerce clause of the Constitution by discriminating against graduates of out-of-state law schools. They said the state should extend the diploma privilege to graduates of these schools. Their suit named the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners and the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Click to read the rest of "Lawsuit challenges policy that lets some grads skip bar exam" (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel).

Thought Spot the Thoughter Spaniel

2009-07-12T18:25:00-06:00

This is the last of these drawings I will post. I hope some of you enjoyed the talent of Gary Tenuta. So many years have passed since he and I were involved in the project for which he drew these. To this day, I still have him create drawings for me; he is extraordinarily talented and versatile, easily switching from one style to another. He can do serious art, logos, whimsical art, cartoons, caricatures, and more.

Contact Gary if you need some artwork.

Are you a people lawyer or a thing lawyer?

2009-07-12T18:11:26-06:00

Saw this in "Are Law Schools Like GM? Why Profs Should Mull End of ‘Salad Days’" (ABA Journal):

At one time, most law grads became “people lawyers” working as general practitioners for people. “That world no longer exists,” [William] Henderson writes. “The overwhelming majority of law school graduates will serve as ‘thing’ lawyers, either for government, private industry, or a public interest cause.” Yet the profession’s regulatory framework continues to premised on the idea that lawyers serve clients who are people, rather than things.

What do you think about what Professor Henderson writes?

Article reporting on 23rd Learning & the Brain Conference: 10 brain ideas for you

2009-07-12T17:28:21-06:00

Brain lovers among you will like this article "10 brainy ideas" (Philippine Daily Inquirer). Its writer Grace Shangkuan Koo attended the 23rd Learning & the Brain Conference and wrote short overviews of 10 seminars. Some of the ideas she writes about:

Humanities and science share characteristics of innovative creativity
Recess is the most important part of the day
Aging is good!
Tango is neuroscience
Group genius is the new genius
Creativity can be caught and taught

Clear Idear the Thought-billed Platypus

2009-07-12T16:53:01-06:00

What are these drawings? I explain here.

Think Link The Thoughtigator

2009-07-12T16:46:20-06:00

More Sunday amusement. Another fun drawing Gary Tenuta created for me in that long-ago project.

Thought Power the HippoThoughtAmus

2009-07-12T16:32:21-06:00

A little fun this Sunday afternoon! I ran into some old drawings today and chuckled. I had Gary Tenuta, a very talented artist, create them for me for a project that was long ago and much fun. Maybe some of you might enjoy seeing them. Here's one . . .