Mindful Ethics:
Professional Responsibility for
Lawyers in the Digital Age

Class One
August 20
An Introduction to
Professional Responsibility and Mindfulness

In our first class together we will explore the history of efforts to regulate the practice of law and the intention behind the rules that have been set forth to serve that end. We will alert you to the primary sources of these rules at the national and state level and  resources that elaborate and clarify their meaning.

We will also discuss preliminary mindfulness insights and practices so that you may begin to develop a sense of what mindful awareness is, and the ways it not only relates to professional responsibility generally, but to the everyday moment of your life out of which the ethical and professional challenges we all face continually arise.

The syllabus, which you may access on-line by clicking here will be reviewed so that everyone is one the same page with regard to  assignments and expectations.  Also, please click on the Assignment link in the left navigation bar and complete the short exercise.

We will explore the role of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. While you need not do so at this point, you may wish to click on the two links on the left navigational bar to get a sense of these materials.

We hope that you become intrigued by this thing called “mindfulness” and the degree to which it is being researched in the areas of neuroscience and psychology and applied to the law. We will offer you a taste of mindful awareness so that you can appreciate how it may benefit you as you encounter challenging ethical and professional situations in your career as a law student and lawyer.