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For Legal Professionals

Coaching & Leadership Development for High-Performing Legal Teams

Today’s legal leaders face increasing demands—from guiding teams through complexity and client expectations to navigating cultural change and technology disruption. Retaining top talent and supporting sustainable performance requires more than initiatives—it demands a strategic, evidence-based investment in people.

I help law firms and in-house legal departments develop emotionally intelligent, high-impact lawyers and professionals through coaching and leadership development that’s grounded in legal experience and aligned with the organization's goals. My approach supports both performance and well-being—building capacity in high-pressure environments without compromising culture.

 

With 30+ years across BigLaw, startups, public companies, and academia, I understand the realities your professionals face—from boardrooms and courtrooms to cross-functional team dynamics and personal career challenges.

 

I’ve served as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of a public company, led HR and compliance functions, and currently serve as general counsel to a startup. I bring that insight to every engagement—paired with certifications in leadership, coaching, adult development, and behavior-based assessment tools.

Core Offerings

All programs are customizable by role or level—partners, associates, staff, or summer associates—and are designed to integrate with your firm’s existing professional development and people strategy.

  • Executive & Group Coaching
    Confidential support for leadership presence, communication under pressure, emotional intelligence, and sustainable performance

  • Summer Associate & New Lawyer Coaching
    Builds professional identity, workplace readiness, boundaries, and long-term retention

  • Partner & Team Retreat Facilitation
    Strategic alignment and trust-building using design thinking for law firms and collaborative planning frameworks

  • CLEs & Workshops
    Interactive, evidence-based sessions on ethical leadership, psychological safety, crucial conversations, values-based decision-making, and performance under stress

  • Leadership & Team Assessments
    Uses DISC, CliftonStrengths, Hogan, and 360s to deepen insight, strengthen teams, and guide targeted development plans

What Makes Illuminating Wisdom Different

  • Combines deep legal experience with evidence-based coaching, adult learning science, and applied behavioral strategy

  • Certified across multiple coaching and leadership development modalities, including neuroscience-informed and trauma-aware practices

  • Flexible, role-appropriate formats designed for firm leadership, rising professionals, and staff teams alike

  • All offerings are tailored and co-designed with clients to address internal priorities, support your culture, and align with current initiatives—not to duplicate them

  • Practical, proven tools—not “theory”—delivered with empathy, discretion, and professionalism

Next Steps

If you’re exploring how to strengthen your leadership pipeline, improve team dynamics, or reduce risk related to burnout and attrition, I’d be happy to connect.


Preview materials and sample program outlines are available upon request.
 

Continuing Legal Education for Lawyers

If you’re looking for tailored, actionable, and relevant sessions for your workshops for your legal team, feel free to reach out. All workshops can all be tailored for jurisdiction, company culture, and non-lawyer audiences.

The following are eligible for CLE in Florida, but all workshops apply to nonlegal audiences as well and are specifically tailored for each group and jurisdiction. 

And whether you work with me or not, find some way to support all of your team members, not just the lawyers or leaders.

1.) Grit, Growth Mindset, and Stress Management for Lawyers- 1.5 general, .5 Ethics, 1 mental health and wellness- Basic

Course Description:

This CLE program offers an in-depth exploration of the unique challenges legal professionals face regarding stress, burnout, and mental health, focusing on evidence-based strategies for enhancing well-being, resilience, and ethical practice. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the 13 psychosocial factors essential to a healthy workplace, how these influence their mental health, and the impact this has on their interactions with clients.

 

Throughout the course, attendees will explore the neuroscience behind stress and burnout, understanding how chronic stress can alter brain function, impair decision-making, and potentially lead to ethical challenges. The course will also delve into the concepts of grit, growth mindset, and the transformative power of reinterpreting stress.

 

In an interactive segment, participants will learn practical tools for managing stress, including breathwork, mindfulness, EFT (tapping), and other science-backed techniques. By the end of the session, they will be equipped to recognize when to seek help, implement effective stress management techniques, and understand the resources available through the Florida Bar to support a fulfilling, sustainable, and ethical legal practice.

 

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define the differences between stress and burnout and their impact on lawyer performance and ethical obligations.

  2. Understand the psychosocial factors of a healthy workplace and how their absence affects well-being and client relationships.

  3. Identify the neuroscience behind chronic stress and how it impacts decision-making, resilience, and ethics.

  4. Learn and practice short- and long-term techniques to enhance resilience, improve well-being, and manage stress effectively.

  5. Explore the concepts of grit and growth mindset, and how these foster professional growth and ethical decision-making.

  6. Recognize signs that indicate when professional help may be needed and discover mental health resources provided by the Florida Bar.

By blending insights from positive psychology, neuroscience, and practical tools for resilience, this program equips legal professionals with strategies to maintain their mental health and uphold the highest standards of ethical practice under stress.

 

2.) Legal Limits: Effective Strategies for Lawyers to Set and Maintain Work-Life Boundaries- 1 general, 1 mental health and wellness. Intermediate 

Course Description:

This Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program is designed to provide lawyers with essential strategies for setting and maintaining effective work-life boundaries, particularly in high-demand legal environments. The session explores the neuroscience behind stress and burnout, how these conditions impact brain function and legal practice, and the ethical ramifications of failing to address them. Lawyers will gain practical tools for prioritization, managing multitasking, and fostering resilience.

The program also emphasizes boundary-setting techniques with clients, colleagues, and at home, underscoring the connection between mental well-being and professional competency.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand the differences between stress and burnout and how each affects brain function, decision-making, and professional performance.

     

  2. Identify ethical obligations related to stress management in the legal field, including how chronic stress can impact a lawyer's duty of competence and diligence.

     

  3. Apply neuroscience-backed strategies to reduce cognitive strain by eliminating multitasking, taking effective breaks, and utilizing mindfulness techniques to enhance focus and prevent burnout.

     

  4. Implement boundary-setting techniques with clients and team members to protect personal time, manage workload, and maintain clear professional limits.

     

  5. Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks effectively, allowing for better time management and the elimination of non-essential tasks.

     

  6. Develop personalized work-life integration strategies that support mental well-being, including setting boundaries at home and choosing between balance versus integration based on individual preferences.

     

3.) Legal Practice in the Age of AI: Mental Health Challenges and Solutions-   1.5 General, .5 Ethics, and 1.0 Mental Health and Wellness, 1.5 Technology - Basic

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly integrates into the legal profession, automating tasks such as legal research, document review, and contract analysis, lawyers across all levels face new mental health challenges.

 

Junior lawyers fear job displacement, senior attorneys struggle to adapt to evolving technologies, and firms face growing pressure from clients to adopt AI, disrupting traditional billing and practice models.

 

This comprehensive course examines these challenges through the lens of mental health, the neuroscience of stress, and legal ethics. We will also incorporate key insights from Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 24-1 and ABA Formal Opinion 512, providing participants with actionable strategies to manage anxiety and maintain ethical competence in the age of AI.

 

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course, participants will:

  • Understand the key sources of anxiety related to AI use in legal practice and how these stressors vary across different generations of legal professionals.

     

  •  Gain insights into the neuroscience of stress and how cognitive overload from AI adaptation can impair brain function and decision-making.

     

  • Learn the ethical implications of AI under ABA Formal Opinion 512 and Florida Bar Ethics Opinion 24-1, including maintaining competence, confidentiality, and ensuring fairness in AI-assisted legal outcomes.

     

  • Acquire practical strategies to manage AI-induced anxiety, balance client demands, and adapt to new technologies while preserving mental well-being and ethical standards.

     

4.) Leading Through Uncertainty: Thriving Together in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) World- 1.5 General, .5 Professionalism, .5 Ethics, and .5 Mental Health and Wellness. Intermediate

 

Course Description:

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving environment, legal professionals face unique challenges characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

 

This course addresses these challenges head-on, focusing on ethical decision-making, mental health, and resilience-building strategies tailored for legal professionals.

 

Participants will explore the core components of VUCA, understand its impact on productivity and decision-making, and examine the relationship between ethical leadership and mental health in a legal context.

The course integrates insights from neuroscience to explore how stress affects cognitive functions and impacts ethical obligations.

 

Additionally, attendees will learn practical techniques for reducing stress and enhancing resilience. Special emphasis is placed on mental health allyship, equipping attorneys with the skills to support themselves and their colleagues while upholding the profession's highest ethical standards.

 

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand VUCA and its relevance to legal practice and ethical decision-making.

     

  • Examine the neuroscience behind stress and decision-making, particularly as it relates to ethical obligations in law.

     

  • Develop skills to foster a growth mindset and resilience, critical for navigating VUCA conditions.

     

  • Gain tools to act as a mental health ally within your organization, supporting team members and maintaining ethical standards.

     

  • Learn practical techniques, including design thinking, to enhance ethical leadership and adaptability in uncertain environments.

 

Feel free to reach out!