FOI Richard Reuben (Missouri) sends along this conference announcement for the Mindfulness in Law Society.  Please note that lack of conference registration information in the message, so if you’re interested please contact Richard directly.

As many of you know, I have been focusing a lot of my time the last few years on opening doors for mindfulness in the legal profession, and would like to share some of the fruits of our efforts with those on the list who are interested: the Mindfulness in Law Society and our first major conference during the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) is a growing non-profit organization for the promotion of mindfulness, yoga, and other contemplative practices in the the legal profession. Membership is $75/year and entitles you to many benefits, including the ability to participate in virtual sitting sessions, access to our resource database, blog, and national membership directory, as well as discounts to MILS conferences. The biggest benefit, of course, is connecting with and helping to create a national community of like-minded legal professionals, and enjoying the support that community provides.

We have nearly a dozen divisions so far, the oldest and largest of which is our Academic Division, with more than 100 law professors and deans, and nearly 25 law student chapters, at law schools around the country. Other divisions include the Judicial Division, Teacher’s Division, Law Firm Management Division, and Corporate Counsel Division. The divisions are at different levels of development, and some are looking for leadership if that is of interest to you. Let me know!

In the meantime, we are holding our first national practitioner’s conference on Aug. 3, at Loyola Law School in Chicago, as part of the ABA Annual Meeting. It is cosponsored by the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Center for Mindfulness at the UMass School of Medicine, the State Bar of Arizona, and growing list of others. Retired federal district Judge Ricardo Urbina will give the keynote address, kicking off a robust day of great panels and networking in what is sure to be a pivotal moment in the mindfulness in law movement.

Pre-registration is $175 for members, and $225 for non-members, and runs through June. If you join when you register for the conference, you get both for $200 (a $50 savings). Conference cosponsorships and other branding opportunities are also available if that is of interest.

I hope you will consider joining MILS and/or attending the conference. Please feel free to share this with anyone you know who might find it of interest.

Kind regards,

Richard