we’ve served as faculty at the University of Michigan Law School teaching lawyers and law students on how to apply problem-solving skills to guide clients through complex challenges. Yet we’ve noticed that while so many lawyers skillfully assist others experiencing difficult situations, they often struggle to use those same skills to design a fulfilling and meaningful life for themselves. Far too many lawyers we know are stuck, facing burnout and fatigue, and aren’t experiencing the joy we know is possible for each of us.

But not all lawyers feel this way. We’ve connected with so many lawyers who have countered this trend and successfully built fulfilling careers and lives, while also tackling some of the world’s biggest problems. They designed lives consistent with their values while also impacting their communities. We spoke to them, learned from their experiences, and began a journey to identify practices that we all could use to craft meaningful paths forward.

Based on these experiences, we designed an innovative course at the University of Michigan Law School - Designing a Fulfilling Life in the Law - to give students a toolkit to build a joy-filled and meaningful life designed specifically for them. Students learn how to define the values that matter to them, identify what brings them energy, experiment by prototyping life design ideas, understand evidence-based practices that create fulfillment, and draft a vision for what they want their lives to look like. In doing so, they experience more autonomy over what their future will look like.

We believe that these teachings can also help those already practicing law looking for a different path. We’d love to connect with you to share what we’ve learned and help you create the life you want. Reach out to us to learn more about individual coaching, workshops or fine tuning sessions for those already on this journey.