NJLAP's Balance ENewsletter

This month we feature an article by
Michael Kasdan, Esq.,
the founder and CEO of Lawyering While Human

I always wanted to be the Chief Enthusiasm Officer of something – and CEOs never seemed to want to let me take that title – so when I founded Lawyering While Human earlier this year, I appointed myself Chief Enthusiasm Officer, as well!

The story of Lawyering While Human began, in a way, in 2016. A friend of mine, let’s call him Kevin (because his name is Kevin Cranman), was involved with an IP law conference (the In-House Innovates: East Conference) that had lost their keynote speaker at the very last minute. Kevin was one of my few “work friends” who knew that one of my side “passion projects” outside of work, which I didn’t really talk about in work/law circles, was as a writer and editor for a website called The Good Men Project. It was there that I wrote about social justice, relationships, politics, gender roles, and mental health. It was a vastly different conversation than the one I had at work, which focused on intellectual property, patents, litigation, and innovation. And as a young lawyer, I had always feared that it was “too political” or that, even worse, a partner at my firm would see my writing and question why I was spending time writing on the side when I could be adding to my billable hours. Kevin said to me that he thought he could get me in as the last-minute substitute keynote speaker, but that he wanted me to “talk about that Good Men Project stuff; not that lawyer stuff. The whole rest of the conference is going to be all about IP law!”

So, I did. I called my presentation “Lawyering While Human: Observations and Life Lessons.” I spoke about bringing your whole self to work, not hiding who you are, pursuing your passions passionately, turning your weaknesses into strengths, owning the narrative of your own story. I spoke about how connection is life (and work), how diversity is strength, and how we should strike as leaders to be givers, because zero sum thinking, long term, will sink you. Finally, I spoke about seeking balance: “the heart/mind balance kind.” During the turn your weaknesses into strengths and not hiding who you are parts of the talk, I spoke about mental health and my own struggle with mental health, which at that time was six years old.

The Lawyering While Human story didn’t really start in 2016. It started in 2010, when I had my first bout of acute depression. It continued last year during the perfect storm of the COVID pandemic, social isolation, and a combination of stress at work and at home, sent me bad into that depression. At my therapist’s recommendation, I took a leave of absence from work, and it took me months and a lot of work to change my life through intensive therapy in order to recover.

When I returned to work in January of 2022, I was very open about where I had been and why. That opened up compassionate and important conversations with associates, my partners and friends, clients and colleagues alike.

Lawyering While Human focuses on mental health and wellness, authentic leadership, diversity and inclusion, and relational intelligence. I am in conversation with law students, law schools, lawyers and law firms to help to better educate us all on the critical importance of these areas and how we can change ourselves and change the culture to be both better lawyers and better humans.

Bio:
Michael is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and received his J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he now teaches as an Adjunct Professor. He has worked in law firms (large, mid-sized, and small), practicing IP litigation for over 20 years. He is presently a partner in the IP Group at Wiggin and Dana LLP in their NYC office. Michael grew up in Englewood Cliffs and now lives in Maplewood.

For the last ten years, he has also been in leadership at The Good Men Project, where he has served numerous roles on the editorial and business side, including editing and running its mental health section, and he now serves as Director of Special Projects. He has written articles, appeared on television, radio, and podcasts, developed videos and social media campaigns (#NotWeakJustHuman, #WeRageForLove), and created and led groups focused on mental health for over a decade.

Most recently,he married his interests in mental health advocacy and the legal industry under the umbrella of Lawyering While Human He also serves on the Communications Committee of The Institute for Well-Being In Law. His own personal experience with depression, while working as a practicing lawyer, has given him some unique insights, and he is happy to have this opportunity to share his perspective and what he has learned with others in law.
For more information:
Email: mike@lawyeringwhilehuman.com

Twitter: @law_while_human (Lawyering While Human)
Instagram: @zen.mayhem (Lawyering While Human)
Facebook: Zen Mayhem: Lawyering While Human.

Noreen Braman
NJLAP Communications Manager
Scroll down for a sneak peek at Well-Being in Law Week, May 2-6, 2022.

Remember, NJLAP is here to help you achieve and maintain personal and professional well-being. Call us at 800-246-5527. Get recent information about upcoming programs, links to our Youtube channel and more at: NJLAP's quick info page.https://twitter.com/law_while_human