A Quiet Revolution: Mindfulness, Rebellious Lawyering and Community Practice

Abstract

The contemplative law movement is not an isolated initiative or one-dimensional trajectory within the legal profession. Over the last decade the use of contemplative practices have become increasingly adopted and adapted by law schools, bar associations, law firms, the judiciary, and practitioners alike. Noticeably absent from the scholarly discourse, however, are examples of the integration of mindfulness and contemplative practices into experiential courses and clinical education. This Article seeks to fill this gap by examining student outcomes and experiences across multiple cohorts taught through this pedagogical lens. While this Article focuses on experiential learning and clinical education, the integration of mindfulness should not be limited to one area of the curriculum. The increasing pressures faced by law students during school and after graduation underscore the academy's need to consider legal training aimed at connecting critical practice skills with a method for cultivating deeper insights into what it means to work effectively with clients coupled with a consciousness necessary to connect, not separate, ideas of working for justice and living justly.

Keywords: legal education, experiential education, mindfulness and law, contemplative pedagogy, social justice, rebellious lawyering, public interest practice