Attendance at this program is open only to Deans and Interim Deans of AALS member and fee-paid law schools.
A dean's ability to lead in "the new reality" of the law school world depends in part on the mental frames through which he or she sees--or fails to see-- events and possibilities. This session is designed to introduce deans to a set of "Tools of Awareness" that are already employed at about 30 U.S. law schools (in for-credit and extra-curricular courses) as well as in other professional schools (e.g., business medicine, engineering); the U.S. military; Corporations (Google, Monsanto); and in the legal profession. The principal tool is "mindfulness," a method of paying attention, moment-to-moment and without judgment, to whatever passes through the senses and the mind. Practices to cultivate mindfulness derive from both ancient meditative systems and modern Western psychology. Goals of law school programs to introduce mindfulness include: managing stress, feeling and performing better; developing a deeper understanding of ourselves, each other, and the nature of reality; developing Emotional Intelligence competencies (In Daniel Goleman’s terms, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills); and promoting compassion and more ethical behavior. Research has documented some of these benefits, as well as a variety of health benefits and neurological changes. A recent study found that mindfulness training improved GRE scores, and research is underway to measure the impact of mindfulness training on law students.
About 30 law review articles (all published since 2002) deal with mindfulness and law or dispute resolution.
Through presentations, discussions, and experiential exercises, deans will get a "taste" of mindfulness and learn how mindfulness programs can help members of the law school community thrive in these difficult times.