The American Bar Association Model Rules and the California Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.1 state that lawyers must act competently by being skilled and knowledgeable in the area of relevant law before taking on a case. Every lawyer knows this rule. Most lawyers are careful about the subject matter of a case and take cases only within their area of expertise. But is this enough to be competent? This unusual presentation explores the question: When does brain function interfere with your ability to be competent? While many attorneys are winning battles in the courtroom, they are losing battles in their lives. They are often overworked, unappreciated, and unhappy. Attorneys are almost four times more likely to suffer from depression than people working in other fields. The suicide rate is so alarming, several State Bar Associations are working on combating the crises in the industry. How did it get so bad? And are you at risk? Is your partner or an associate at risk?
Find out how brain science reveals that you are under more stress than you realize and why these mild, but chronic, stressors from a multitude of sources are reducing your ability to think and exercise skillfulness even in your area of choice, and perhaps, quite literally killing you.

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