Stress Reduction for Lawyers, Law Students, and Legal Professionals: Learning to Relax

By Stephen Snyder

A practical guide for a more relaxed and enjoyable legal career—authored by a retired lawyer and senior meditation teacher

“This is the best book written about the value of mindfulness and meditation for lawyers, as well as others in high-stakes occupations.” —Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Resilient and Buddha’s Brain

Client, firm, and court demands can feel unending. Truly relaxing seems impossible. Is there any hope? Yes! With help, you can practice law with ease.

You will learn how to:
• Recognize the work and life events that cause you stress
• Use techniques to deeply relax, such as Focused Attention Stress Reduction (FASR) and heart-based exercises
• Read your emotions and others’ emotions
• Become a better listener
• Enjoy more satisfying relationships and greater life satisfaction

Stephen Snyder has decades of experience as a civil litigator and as a meditation teacher. He’s been where you are and knows how to become a happy lawyer.

With the simple techniques and easy-to-follow instructions in this book, you, too, can reduce stress and deeply enjoy life.

* * * * * * * *
Stephen Snyder was raised in Guam and in and around Hawaii. He graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1987. He practiced civil litigation, actively litigating personal injury–related cases in trial courts throughout California. In 2018, he sold his law practice and moved to Michigan, where he was admitted to the State Bar in 2019. In addition to working as an attorney, Stephen has acted as a mediator in civil cases since 1990. He brings an extensive knowledge of litigation tensions and dynamics, as well as emotional and psychological blocks, to the resolution of disputes.

Authorized as a lineage meditation teacher by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, Stephen has led retreats throughout the US, in Europe, and in the UK since 2007. Practicing the Jhanas, his first book on meditation (coauthored with Tina Rasmussen), was published in 2009. He now offers one-on-one coaching, short presentations, and daylong workshops on stress reduction. For more about Stephen and these offerings visit https://www.workingforbalance.com/.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephen Snyder
• Release date: Sep 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734781014

Stephen Snyder

Stephen Snyder began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western nondual traditions. Stephen was authorized to teach in 2007 by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, a Burmese meditation master and renowned scholar. In 2009, he coauthored Practicing the Jhānas, exploring concentration meditation as presented by Pa Auk Sayadaw.Stephen’s resonant and warmhearted teaching style engages students around the globe through in-person and online retreats, as well as one-on-one coaching. He encourages students to turn toward awakened awareness and, through this realizing, embody their true identity. Stephen is also author of Stress Reduction for Lawyers, Law Students, and Legal Professionals and Buddha’s Heart. For more information, please visit awakeningdharma.org.

Book preview

Advance praise for

Stress Reduction for Lawyers, Law

Students, and Legal Professionals

This is the best book written about the value of mindfulness and meditation for lawyers as well as others in high-stakes occupations. Its author combines expertise in the law, contemplative practice, and clear writing. He gets right to the point, with examples, specific suggestions, and focused experiential practices. The ideas and tools in it will replace stress with greater calm, resilience, and well-being.

—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient and Buddha’s Brain

Stephen Snyder shares practical wisdom, born of his experience as a lawyer and his remarkable insight into the interchange between mindfully based stress relief, Buddhist thought, and his true compassion for others. He has lived what he writes in this book and has done so with honesty and grace. As a psychologist, I wholeheartedly recommend this incredibly important book, not only for lawyers but for all of us.

—Judy F. Kennedy, PhD, licensed psychologist and business consultant

I found this book enlightening for its simple advice. I’m an Italian civil lawyer and I empathize very much with the difficulties and challenges described. I met Stephen at a retreat he led and I did some of the practices described in the book. They changed my point of view, made me more aware, and allowed me to be kinder to myself and others—not all the time but as much as I can. The precious advice gifted through this book has the same purpose and I really loved it.

—Vanessa Camerano Spelta Rapini, civil lawyer, Italy

Stephen Snyder’s book is the distillation of decades of wisdom, matured in the crucible of lived experience. Stephen writes with lucidity, drawing the reader’s attention to the essential and transformative practices of stress reduction through meditation, listening, and techniques for heart-based awareness. This small gem of a book offers insight and science-informed practices that can make a difference here and now. Stephen is a wise teacher generously opening his heart so those who practice the art of law might do so with their full selves and with greater enjoyment.

—The Rev. Kevin G. Thew Forrester, PhD, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish

"This is a must read for all attorneys. Frankly, it should also be required reading in all law schools. While most seminars and books focused on stress and substance dependency in the legal profession only address the causes of legal work-related anxiety and stress, Mr. Snyder’s book provides substantive help and exercises that go well beyond just identifying the problem.

As a trial attorney with hundreds of active cases, a father, a husband, and a youth sports coach, I often feel like I am being pulled in multiple directions. This book is simply the best literature I have digested to go beyond identification of stress for attorneys and explain how to actually make changes to address the issue."

—Neil Berman, trial attorney

"Stephen Snyder is a skilled litigator who is also trained in traditional Buddhist meditation techniques. In this excellent book, he draws on his own experience in the law, where he recognized that stress is often an outcome of difficult or combative relationships, whether they’re with clients, colleagues, or opposing counsel. He found that adopting an authentic and