Attorney Satisfaction Now Highly Dependent on Non-Monetary Factors

In addition to my law practice, I have provided consulting services to law firms for over fifteen years. Often, especially when dealing with partners who have been practicing for more than twenty years, a complaint commonly expressed is that associates (and employees in general) fail to take initiative to cultivate new business for the firm. This is often expressed as a shortcoming or sense of entitlement of younger generations.

In addition to the reality that the legal profession is now far more competitive for young attorneys, law practice today is substantively far more complex than it was twenty years ago. But perhaps this gap between older and younger attorneys represents a more fundamental shift in priorities among generations – a shift emphasizing greater inner peace and relegating material wealth as an end in itself to subordinate importance.

If this is true, then in order to retain talented associates, law firms must begin to devote more time and attention to more spiritual needs of their employees. More progressive companies such as Google are now incorporating mindfulness training into the daily work lives of its employees. Google realizes that emotional intelligence – cultivated through mindful awareness of present-moment experience – is at least as important, if not more so, than the intellectual capacity of its employees.

By emphasizing mindfulness, holistic law practice begins to shift the focus of attorneys toward the more foundational needs of clients as well as other attorneys. To learn more about how holistic law practice can help you, visit https://therapyforlawyers.com, or contact Psychotherapist and  Lawyer Michael Lubofsky at (415) 508-6263.