The Stoic Lawyer

Brian and Kristen give a brief history of the life of Seneca and then discuss Letter III from Seneca’s Letters to a Stoic.

Our second special guest episode is available! Join us and retired Judge Rebecca Stern for a discussion of the dichotomy of control and it’s application to our lives as lawyers and people.

Meditations Book 11, Paragraph 9 talks about obstacles and tolerance, two recurring themes in Stoic philosophy. Join Brian and Kristen for a discussion of what real tolerance looks like.

Brian and Kristen welcome their first guest, Charlotte, to the podcast. Charlotte, a podcast super fan and practitioner of Zen, shares her thoughts on Book 8, Passage 13 of Meditations.

This week we dive in to Meditations 10:12 and talk about taking the guesswork out of our daily routines.

Brian and Kristen discuss recent criticism of modern Stoic philosophy as an individualistic, self centered approach to life. They disagree, and so do the ancient Stocis.

In this episode Brian and Kristen review Meditations 5:1 and ask you to contemplate your true nature.

Brian and Kristen pause on a morning walk to talk about Stoic Courage.

Today Kristen and Brian discuss the Stoic virtue of wisdom. Know what you don’t know. Wisdom is not knowledge. “To be wise is the use of wisdom.”

Brian and Kristen continue their walk through the four virtues of stoicism with a discussion on justice in every day life.

Moderation is the main topic of the week. Kristen and Brian discuss the areas they observe lawyers struggle with moderation the most.

Kristen and Brian discuss the mental and physical benefits of taking your mind for a walk.

Brian shares an excerpt from a program he read while at a rodeo on his recent trip to Wyoming...not Montana.

Kristen and Brian discuss a Meditations passage that related to modern criminal sentencing and civil damages.

Brian gives a brief history of Marcus Aurelius and then segues into a Meditations passage about the emperor and his mule driver.

Initial client interviews can be daunting for new lawyers. In this episode, we discuss a Meditations passage about listening that is applicable not just to initial meetings but conversations of all types.

This week we discuss the concept of negative visualization and how you can use it to enhance your preparation and performance.

Brian uses an unfortunate morning discovery to talk about dealing with setbacks.

Brian and Kristen each select a passage from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations on the topic of multitasking. Join us as we discuss doing more by doing less.

In this episode, Brian and Kristen discuss a Meditations passage that has helped them in their interactions with difficult lawyers who may not always play by the same rules you do.

We are two attorneys who have discovered the ancient wisdom of stoic philosophy and have applied it to our work as lawyers as well as our daily lives. Each week we will choose a phrase, concept, or other writing from the ancient stoics and talk about how we have used these tools to improve our practices and our lives.