A self-aware lawyer is a higher performing lawyer.

I teach how to become one.

When lawyers concentrate on their work, they are in a meditative state.
So, why not illuminate their working minds with meditation skills? 

A decade ago, I wondered whether attorneys could learn to self-regulate within their law practice the way yogis self-regulate within their meditation practice. We’re not talkng about chanting OM! or burning incense here, but about noticing and controlling internal reactions sparked by external stressors.

I championed such skill sets with my first program, Mindfulness for the Adversarial Mind. Then I took a deep dive into how first-rate adversaries become undeterred. I emerged with practical wisdoms that will boost any lawyer’s resolve. You can read about them in my recently published law review article, Supreme Court Samurai: A Profile of Justice Holmes As A Zen Warrior. Now, law firms book me to show their attorneys how to build and sustain adversarial performance.

—John Marcoux

Attorney, Professional Development Speaker

 

Cornell J.D. ‘95, William & Mary B.S. ‘92

Sam Feder

Partner, Jenner & Block

“John’s talk at our retreat blew my mind. I had thought about quitting the law, but John showed me ways to notice a bunch of knee-jerk reflexes that were slowly, insidiously depleting my will to compete. The fix felt instantaneous.”

Adversarial thinking naturally ignites intuitive, emotional impulses. These feelings get lost in the fog of work or dismissed as nuisances. Yet elite adversaries notice and control them to elevate performance.

This cannot be outsourced. This is self-regulation. I show lawyers how.

Programs

  • Soulful Brawling

    All adversaries experience jolts of fear, hopelessness, selfishness, half-heartedness, and surrender. Elite adversaries notice these impulses and convert them into strengths. Here’s how they do it.

  • Strategic Humility

    Lawyers seeking success and profit need not be defensive, self-centered, know-it-all braggarts. Here is a tour of the various techniques that lawyers can deploy to achieve more by being less.

  • Dodging Demoralizers

    Persistent adversarial thinking tends to deplete the will to compete. Here’s how to identify, evade, and escape each trap known to sap adversarial morale.

  • Supreme Court Samurai

    By what feats does one become undeterred? Ancient warriors and modern psychologists agree: flex the same character strengths that Justice Holmes flexed for 70 years!

Sarah Spain

espnW • iHeart podcaster of "Good Game with Sarah Spain” • Author of Runs In The Family

“John was one of my all-time favorite podcast guests and I've frequently discussed his work with other guests, colleagues, family, and friends. It's so important for people to understand the tricks their minds play, especially folks in high-stress jobs, so they can be intentional about preventing an adversarial mindset from following them home from work. John’s episode drew a response so strong that I re-broadcast it at the end of the year.”

John striking a very adversarial pose

photo © AmarisGranado.com

 

For more than 25 years, I’ve been guiding meditation and yoga students through hell.

Don't be fooled by all those images of blissed-out practitioners: yogis navigate internal landscapes every bit as hostile as the external landscapes encountered in our legal system. Lawyers could learn a thing or two from seasoned meditators.

Here’s an inescapable reality: combative thinking inflames emotions. These hot signals should complement the cold logic of law. Yet lawyers regard such feelings as weaknesses to be stifled, defects to be concealed.

When properly observed, however, adversarial emotions can be directed toward boosting lawyerly performance right now and over an entire career.

James Sammataro

Partner, Pryor Cashman

“When John spoke at our partner retreat about dodging demoralizers, no one was looking at their phones. He captivated the room. When he finished, my colleagues demanded more. John bantered for another forty minutes of Q&A. Like butter.”

Each adversarial mind has its golden mean.

No outsider can find yours for you. But I can help you find yours.

Seth Bromberger

Professor of Cybersecurity, Cal State-East Bay

“John’s lecture showed perfect empathy for the plight of cybersecurity pros who must stay ready to spring out of bed and fend off attacks at 3 am. He taught us how to protect the minds that protect the computer systems.”