. Kim Wright—Cutting Edge Law and the Transformational Lawyer
December 21st, 2008As the title of the show tells you, Doug is a lawyer turned peacemaker. Early on in his journey from being a hard core trial lawyer to becoming a healer, teacher, mediator, and peacemaker helearned about the work of J. Kim Wright. Kim, like Doug, is a lawyer turned peacemaker.
Kim is a cutting edge lawyer dedicated to helping lawyers become healers and peacemakers. She became a lawyer at the urging of her children and soon learned that the adversarial method of resolving disputes ws destructive and disheartening, for herself and her clients.
It wasn’t too long before she discovered the International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers, a newly founded group of professionals looking for healthier ways to assist clients and deal with disputes. In 2000, Kim established renaissancelawyer.com that grew into 400 plus pages of resources for people looking for help other than through traditional lawyering and legal processes. Today, Kim is a speaker, trainer, mediator, lawyer, coach, and publisher. Her latest project is cuttingedgelaw.com. Kim is a mother and grandmother and an inspiration to anyone interested in role of lawyers as peacemakers and healers.
Doug and Kim talk about cutting edge law. Kim says that cutting edge law has many pieces. In the 1990s, some lawyers were looking for other ways to practice law other than through the traditional adversary system. These lawyers, mostly independent sole practitioners, were unknown to each other. Their practices were based on the idea that the law could heal and repair rather than tear apart. Money and winning was not the sole reason for a lawyer’s existence.
Kim went to law school in the mid-1990s and came out having sensed a loss of human values. She looked around and found, to her amazement, that there were lawyers who actually felt like she did. In 1999, she discovered the International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers and turned towards a journey of moving the legal profession towards healing, peace, and transformation. In 2000, she started renaissancelawyer.com, which grew to 400 pages of resources for people looking for ways to solve problems other than through fighting.
Doug and Kim talk about the reality that money does not satisfy all needs. Some people want apology. Many people become angry when they are ignored. Kim and Doug talk about Toro Manufacturing Company’s policy of connecting with people injured by its lawn mowers. That policy led to a dramatic reduction in lawsuits and claims. Doug talks about a study that that showed medical malpractice lawsuits and claims dropped dramatically when doctors admitted mistakes to patients immediately. What lawyers are beginng to recognize is that the power of apology is often better for clients than a settlement check and no closure.
Doug reviews The Essential Laws of Fearless by Guy Finley in The Peacemaker’s Bookshelf. Kim talks about her new project, cuttingedgelaw.com. This is a resource for law students, lawyers, and people looking for different ways to resolve their legal problems.
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