Mental Health Episodes

We may have recorded Season 2 back in 2022 but our guests' answers about the meaning of success are just as fresh as they were two years ago. Even if you have been listening since the beginning, we're sure you'll enjoy hearing 19 answers to the question, "What does success mean to you?"

Loyal friends of the pod know we end every episode with the same question: "What does success mean to you?" And now, to kick off Season 5 of Personal Jurisdiction, we are looking back at the first set of answers to that question from our Season 1 guests. In this episode, we hear 11 different answers to our question, and then we discuss our thoughts on success during Due Diligence.

Season 4 is a wrap! Join Hallie and Allison for their reflections on Season 4, including the best advice from Season 4 guests, and exciting news about what's next for Personal Jurisdiction.

He's back! You may remember Dan Sharpe from Season 1 of Personal Jurisdiction. Back then, we talked to Dan about his journey to becoming a patent attorney and his dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. Dan came back to participate in our first LinkedIn Live event this summer and to share about his new role as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager at Foley & Lardner LLP in Washington, D.C. We're bringing this conversation to you as part of Season 4 because Dan's advice about how law firm associates can be allies and support their colleagues in promoting a culture of DEI and what law firm partners can do to promote a culture of DEI from the top down is not to be missed.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" You may remember Bridgette Carr and Vivek Sankaran from our Mental Health Awareness Series last spring. Bridgette and Vivek are both clinical professors of law at the University of Michigan Law School where they teach a course called Designing a Fulfilling Life in the Law. Our conversation with Bridgette and Vivek last spring was one of our most popular episodes! So we decided to ask them back and try something different. In this episode, we flip the mic and let Bridgette and Vivek guide us through a few of the exercises that they use with their students and clients. We talk about what is important to us in life, what work means to us, what we see ourselves doing in the future, and what we would do if we could do anything.

In this episode of Personal Jurisdiction we chat with Jeena Cho, JD, Legal Mindfulness Consultant and Coach. Jeena shares how her tendency to outwork everyone around her led to a mindfulness and meditation practice that became integral to her legal practice and ability to continue working in a demanding legal career. She also discusses her transition from bankruptcy lawyer to Legal Mindfulness Consultant and Coach, how becoming a mother has impacted her career and personal life, and why she unexpectedly decided to write The Anxious Lawyer - an 8 Week Guide to a Joyful and Satisfying Law Practice. Don't miss Jeena's tips for new lawyers and law students on maintaining a healthy, thriving legal practice as well as the due diligence portion of the show, where we share one of Jeena's meditations!

In the final episode of our Mental Health Awareness Month collaboration with Jonah Perlin and the How I Lawyer podcast, Jonah speaks with Doron Gold, a psychotherapist and former practicing lawyer (primarily in the area of family law) from Toronto, Canada. Doron works primarily with lawyers, law students, and judges as well as other professionals. His personal experience working in the legal profession, coupled with his many years of experiences working with lawyers in distress at the Ontario Lawyers' Assistance Program (OLAP) give him a unique and valuable perspective on the challenges faced by these individuals. In addition to treating lawyers, Doron presents regularly on issues related to mental health for lawyers. Thank you so much to Jonah Perlin for collaborating with us for #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth and for his efforts in helping us to contribute to the goal of destigmitizing mental health challenges in the legal profession.

Dr. Diana Uchiyama is a lawyer and psychologist helping people struggling with mental health and substance use issues as Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program. In this special conversation with Hallie and Allison, Dr. Diana shares her personal journey from public defender to clinical psychologist and provides insight into how we can build healthy mental health habits for ourselves and those in our communities.

**Please note this episode covers several topics that some might find disturbing including substance abuse, eating disorders, and suicide.** This month, May 2022, Personal Jurisdiction and the How I Lawyer Podcast are teaming up to feature five interviews on the important topic of mental health in the legal profession. In the third episode of our series, #HowILawyer Host Jonah Perlin speaks with Brian Cuban. Brian is a Dallas-based attorney, keynote speaker, writer, and addiction recovery advocate. Brian has been in long-term recovery from alcohol, cocaine and bulimia since April of 2007. Brian is well known and speaks across the country at law schools & law firms both to tell his story and to offer advice on how our profession can better improve mental health awareness, awareness of substance abuse problems, and building more compassionate communities. He is the author of three books: Shattered Image, the Addicted Lawyer, and most recently his debut novel: The Ambulance Chaser. B…

Are you pursuing a particular career path simply because you feel like you should? If so, it might be time to pause and listen to this conversation with University of Michigan Law School Professors Bridgette Carr and Vivek Sankaran about why being curious, trying new things, and staying connected to people you care about can help you to design a fulfilling life in the law. There is no yellow brick road, there is no checklist - but Bridgette and Vivek share many pieces of advice and personal reflections for anyone who is not quite fulfilled in their career. We hope you enjoy this special episode in the Mental Health Awareness Month series!

This month, May 2022, Personal Jurisdiction and the How I Lawyer Podcast are teaming up to feature five interviews on the important topic of mental health in the legal profession. In the first episode of our series, #HowILawyer Host Jonah Perlin speaks with Professor Heidi Brown who is the Director of the Legal Writing Program at Brooklyn Law School. Having grappled with extreme performance anxiety as a law student, attorney, and new law professor, Heidi ultimately untangled her fears, and embraced authenticity as a powerful asset in teaching and practicing law. She is the author of two fantastic books on the subject, The Introverted Lawyer: A Seven-Step Journey Toward Authentically Empowered Advocacy, and Untangling Fear in Lawyering: A Four-Step Journey Toward Powerful Advocacy. Professor Brown’s brand new book, The Flourishing Lawyer, analogizes law students and lawyers to athletes and performers & offers a fresh lens through which to view the palpable challenge of enriching an…

On Episode 3 of Personal Jurisdiction, we speak with Anna Fodor about finding purpose in law school and beyond. Anna shares the three pieces of advice she and her colleagues at Marquette gave law students during orientation, and reminds us that it is okay to go your own way!