Integrative Lawyers of the World

Welcome to Integrative Lawyers of the World. It’s time for a new way of practicing law. A way that honors our interconnectedness and values what’s really important, our core values – generosity, integrity, authenticity. If you agree, you are not alone. There is a global integrative law movement that is transformational, impactful, fun. It’s time to grow because the world needs us. So, we are interviewing lawyers from around the world who share their experiences as integrative lawyers. One by one and together we can and we are making a positive impact.   Visit our YouTube Playlist at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7R-_wylJ2YQ-uLUPzRJ61bXgRxvGLulY and our Podcast site at:  https://integrative-lawyers-of-the-world.simplecast.com/ 

Series 3

A yellow square with a block of 12 smaller squares. The blocks alternate between Photos and turquoise text boxes with the name and location of the person in the photo it is by. Isaac Ndegwa, Kenya. Marcello Rodante, Brazil.David Wexler, Puerto Rico. Peter Lustig, Australia. Syed Akbar Hussain, Pakistan. Jens Magers, Germany & Italy
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Isaac Ndegwa, Kenya

Isaac Ndegwa is a legal professional working with Justice Defenders in Kenya to build bridges in the adversarial system. Approaching the law as an act of service, he works with people currently in prison, especially with women and individuals needing more accessability rights, and has already helped change Kenyan law so that individuals with mental disabilities no longer serve indefinite sentences. Isaac’s journey to a law degree is not your typical story. He began law classes, but then at 25 years old was arrested and senteced to 14 years in prison. Through the suggestion by a prison warden and sponsorship from Justice Defenders, Isaac was able to take classes and complete his law degree while incarcerated.

In our first episode of Series 3 of Integrative Lawyers of the World we talk to Mr. Ndegwa about his difficult educational path to his career, its transformational affect on his desire to go from “big shot” lawyer to servant lawyer, the flaws in the justice system, and the ability each person has to make a positive impact from wherever they are.
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Marcello Rodante, Brazil

Marcello Rodante is the co-founder of the Brazilian Institute of Collaborative Law. He believes approaching conflict in less antagonistic ways can help us learn and become better people. To help guide clients and peers through this transformation, he continues to study new ways to expand his practice toolkit. Methods such as spiral dynamics, Conscious Contracts, and non-defensive communication are integrated into his existing practice, honoring the value of the traditional with the benefits of the new.

In our second episode of Series 3 of Integrative Lawyers of the World, we talk to Mr. Rodante about his journey from hard-edge litigator to integrative and collaborative attorney, the hurdles and struggle with peers and the public during this transition, and the importance of learning new disciplines and approaches to blend with traditional ways.
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David Wexler, Puerto Rico & USA

 

David Wexler is the founder of the concept of Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ). TJ is an overarching lens that examines how the legal process can be harmful or helpful to all of the individuals involved. Through his groundbreaking research beginning in the late 1980’s along with Bruce Winick, David helped establish the concepts and applications that have shaped a large part of the Integrative Law Movement.

 

In this episode, we talk to Mr. Wexler about how the idea and application of TJ began, his ideas and goals for it, and how the TJ movement is growing internationally. He also shares how judges and lawyers can be therapeutic agents by thinking about the choices and actions they take and the positive or negative consequences on the well-being of those involved in the legal process.

 

Peter S. Lustig, Australia

Peter S. Lustig is a collaborative practitioner, mediator, lawyer, and coach. These are some of the labels that identify what Peter does, who he is goes much deeper. His experiences include years of personal growth work, working with men’s groups and multi-gender circles, facilitating meetings, organizing play for social activism, and holding space. Each experience is an expression, and contribution, of who he is. He is an integrative lawyer who believes that law is a lubricant of relationships. One of his current projects is using the Conscious Contracts® process to develop Conscious Wills.

In this episode, our conversation is both philosophical and practical as we talk about personal healing and professional impact. Mr. Lustig shares his journey, which he describes on his website as one “…from being a head-kicking adversarial gun for hire, towards the more human approach of helping people understand why conflict is in their lives and what it is there to teach them.” We discuss:

  • the transformational role of conflict
  • the importance of giving oneself pause and space
  • Conscious Wills
  • how lawyers are in a unique position to bring harmony to others and our planet
  • what being an Integrative Lawyer means to him

 

For more information or to contact Peter Lustig:

Website: https://peterslustig.net/

Email: psl@peterslustig.net

 

Recording of live chat with Peter

 

Quote with Akbar Hussain

Live chat with Akbar 

Jens Magers photo

Live chat with Jens: October 20

When: Oct 20, 2022 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYld-CpqD4rH9YxFAqHGrh4QSJhBGiQ0ZAn

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Special Episodes

At the Integrative Lawyers of the World podcast we believe in our interconnectedness. That was one reason we started this podcast – to showcase this worldwide movement. When war ravages upon one of us, we are all covered in darkness. We also believe there is courage in community and there is comfort in connection. With these concepts, we see that there is light shining on us, in us, and through us.

In that spirit, we offered a chance for our community to come together and sit in our connection to one another and to support all those affected by the war in Ukraine. 

On Sunday, March 6, 2022 we held a meditation for peace in Ukraine. Henry Yampolsky, mediator, educator, TEDx speaker, and author of Dis-Solving Conflict from Within, guided us in the meditation. 

We would like to continue this call for peace through meditation and invite you to listen to the discussion at the beginning of this video and then participate in the recorded meditation. Participating at any time in this shared hope and energy for peace is beneficial, even if it isn’t synchronous. 

If you would like to repeat the meditation at another time, we have provided a recording of just the meditation portion of the video https://youtu.be/1J5IRfVrGeY 

May we all find peace in our connectedness. 

Music Notes:

Lokah Somastah Sukhino Bhavantu/May all the sentient beings be happy and free. This mantra of liberation, healing, inclusivity was recorded in India on the banks of the Ganges. Henry was able to participate in this recording made by his teacher Anand Mehrotra.

Prayer for Ukraine by Ukrainian National Symphonic Choir

While our focus at ILOW is to share the encouraging and great work integrative lawyers are doing around the globe, being an international community means experiencing the bad along with the good. We want to share our connectedness and solidarity. To that end we were able to interview two integrative lawyers in Ukraine during this violent period, Inna Ptitsyna and Alexander Padalka. We hope to bring a little more understanding and support by sharing their stories.

Series 2

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Geraldine Johns-Putra, Australia

Geraldine Johns-Putra is a corporate lawyer who uses the law to build impactful, human-centered, earth-friendly enterprises and ecosystems. She works with businesses, governing bodies and institutions, and enterprises for happier humans and a healthier planet. In this episode we talk with her about self-agency and assertion of rights balanced with our interconnectedness and being in service to others. She also tells us ow she developed a successful integrative law practice with a client list full of people, businesses and enterprises wanting to make a positive impact in the world. You can find Geraldine at https://www.geraldinegrace.com.au/ and https://www.newearthlawyer.com/

We had a great talk with Geraldine about fear, hard choices, “green washing,” and what it will take to change the world.

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Tanya Lat, Philippines

Tanya Lat works with the Legal Education Advancement Program in the Philippines to reshape legal education for more impactful and meaningful experience for students. She has also been Legal Adviser of the International Trade Unit of the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, Project Manager of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, Consultant of the Perterson Institute for International Economics, and Legal Consultant of the Akbayan Citizens Action Party. In her episode, Tanya talked with us about her thoughts on human rights and people having a say in things that will affect their lives, their health, and their environment; her work on trade relations between the Philippines and Japan, and on finding common ground even with those who disagree with us. She also shares her great awakening to see our interconnectedness.

Join us on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7pmEST/February 18 at 8amPHT for a live conversation with Tanya as we the community discuss topics raised in her episode. 

Pre-registration is required (and will be available up to the event time) at

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83576411627?pwd=c3cxeGZndHIxbXJPbW9kaUNRcUFrQT09

 

 
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Rhiannon Thomas, South Africa

Rhiannon joins us from South Africa to talk about her journey and approach to integrative law practice. She shares how we can embody the belief that we can be ourselves and still belong in the legal system, connect with all of our intelligences, and embrace the wholeness of our humanity. Rhiannon has used integrative law to help find the gaps in legal practice that our clients need to feel connected.

Join us on Thursday, March 3, 2022 at noon EST for a live community chat with Rhiannon to discuss topics from her Integrative Lawyers of the World episode https://www.integrativelaw.com/celebrating-and-showcasing-the-global-integrative-law-movement/#RhiannonThomas Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsfu2uqjgiEtacZ090zrJBn5CVr7d7BPZh After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may register any time, including the meeting time.

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MariaClaudia Perego, Italy

MariaClaudia Perego is an integrative lawyer from outside of Milan, Italy. She is the author of two books, including: Dalla Contesa all’Intesa (From Contention to Understanding), which she co-authored with Mario Dotti. She provides trainings on mediation and Conscious Contracts throughout Italy. In her integrative approach to law, she connects with her clients as human beings who have needs to be welcomed, listened to, and understood and not as legal issues. By being human-centered first, she finds that even the most complex issues melt and find a solution that allows her clients to look forward to the future with more confidence.

MariaClaudia speaks with us about the power of Integrative Law to make change, how having processes be client driven brings about better outcomes, and how conflict is an opportunity for deeper understanding and growth. She shares with us her family history of how the law is in her DNA and how is in the DNA of society.

You can find more about MariaClaudia at https://www.mariaclaudiaperego.com/

Join us on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at noon EST for a live community chat with MariaClaudia to discuss topics from her Integrative Lawyers of the World episode 

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0odOqgqzkiH9R5Dlhxies3WYu-5RxcQun9

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may register any time, including the meeting time.

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Ana Luiza Etchalus, Brazil

Ana Luiza is a lawyer with a multi-disciplinary legal background including international trade law, legal psychology, collaborative law, and Conscious Contracts certification. She has created a systemic legal vision that she wants to share with the world. While Ana Luiza is a co-founder of OLA-DC, a Latin American Collaborative Organization, she is also an author of “Basque Soul” which chronicles her personal journey to her family roots and origins.

In this episode of Integrative Lawyers of the World, Ana Luiza talks to us about her transformative journey to discover her family roots and how that affected her approach to law practice, how knowing ourselves helps us be better lawyers, how Consciou Contracts practice is creating positive change, and her special message to lawyers and others everywhere.

Join us on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at noon EDT for a live community chat with Ana Luiza to discuss topics from her Integrative Lawyers of the World episode 

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpf-yupjMvHdN34-0fj4lu6_nGwpdmMOMl

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may register any time, including the meeting time.

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Rhonda Magee, United States of America

In our final episode of season 2, we speak with a founding member of the Integrative Law Movement, Rhonda Magee. She talks with us about her journey from insurance law to teaching mindfulness to law students. We also discuss the intersections of inclusivity, mindfulness, and racial justice and how awareness of that will improve our performance. Rhonda Magee is a lawyer, legal scholar, law professor, author, practitioner of mindfulness, and one of the founding members of the Integrative Law Movement. She teaches mindfulness to her law students and others. In her book, The Inner Work of Racial Justice, Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness, she addresses how mindfulness and compassion can help bring people together across cultures, and provides mindfulness practices throughout the book.

Special Guests

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J. Kim Wright, United States of America

This is a special episode of our Integrative Lawyer’s of the World series. We interview the matriarch of the Integrative Law Movement – J. Kim Wright. She talks with us about connected layers and ripples of integrative legal work around the world, the crossroads we are now at in the legal world, the Integrative Lawyers who inspire her, and redesigning systems to be based on generosity, authenticity, integrity, love, and really taking care of each other.

Series 1 Guests

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Magistrate Gabriela McKellar, South Africa

Magistrate Gabriela McKellar of South Africa discusses her work bringing restorative justice and other integrative law principles and approaches to the court system. She shares how her personal trials and triumphs lead her to champion this important work in her community and the world.

Check out our live stream conversation with Magistrate Gabriela McKellar from South Africa. We discussed her powerful work and her story we collected for the Integrative Lawyers of the World series. 
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Dr. Amar Dhall, Australia

Dr. Amar Dhall talks trauma, conflict, power, and how we can learn from our life experiences to become fully connected leaders and helpers.

Hidden choices, power dynamics, interconnectedness, and success. Dr. Amar Dhall joins us again to talk about topics discussed in his ILOW episode.

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Stu Webb, United States of America

Stu Webb joins us to discuss life, love, and understanding and how connecting fully with ourselves and others can change things. One of the founders of Collaborative Law, Stu shares his wisdom to make a better world.

Stu shared a piece he wrote on finding The Serenity Space.  He also joined us for a live interactive chat to discuss his work from his ILOW episode. Check it out!

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Fernanda Guerra, Brazil

Fernanda Guerra joins us to discuss conscious contracts, integrative law, and learning to be in the now.

Our live discussion with integrative lawyer Fernanda Guerra. We discuss concepts of conscious contracts, integrative law, and learning to be in the now from her Integrative Lawyers of the World episode.

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Nitya Bansal, India

Nitya Bansal shares her search in answering the question “what else can I do?” and her discovery of integrative law and purpose in her legal profession. Find out how the trust that all her needs would be met gave her the confidence to change the direction of her legal career to a place that Is not only better aligned with her true self but with the greater good.

Our open community conversation discussing topics from Nitya’s episode – in particular how powerful it is to align your true self with your profession.

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Klaartje Freeke & Wikke Monster, The Netherlands

Klaartje Freeke and Wikke Monster are giving voice to integrative law in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. They talk with us about the values of integrative law – forgiveness, acceptance, understanding our human connection – as the foundation of their firm and practice which brings integrative law into the court and the corporate world.

Adding to the podcast episode with Klaartje and Wikke, we had a live conversation with integrative lawyers Wikke Monster of The Netherlands and Judge Dan Michaels of Tennessee. Join us as we discuss courtroom design. 

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Kerry Raleigh
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Stuffed Elephant as Mascot

The Elephant is our mascot. Around the world, the elephant is a powerful symbol of strength, social bonds, wisdom, dignity, grace, wisdom, confidence, patience, commitment, peace, gentleness, discernment,  intelligence, compassion, collective consciousness, and the removal of obstacles.  This particular elephant is a creative depiction of the Blind Men & the Elephant story. 

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