Barry Lee, Founder

I have worked for over ten years as a corporate and commercial lawyer and have been recommended in the Legal 500 as providing “a first class excellent service” and as “showing an outstanding understanding of clients’ businesses”. I first learned about mindfulness when I was working as a newly qualified solicitor at the height of the “Celtic Tiger”. There was always another big deal around the corner. My life seemed to revolve around late nights, pressure from my bosses and clients, deadlines, and a nagging fear that I had too many plates spinning in the air, and that I would make a mistake.

Unbeknownst to me, I was suffering from chronic low-level stress and I wasn’t equipped with the tools to help me deal with it. My health began to suffer. I experienced panic and anxiety attacks…. all in secret. Showing any form of weakness in the job didn’t seem like a feasible option. So I persevered – constantly ruminating about what needed to be done, what could go wrong, not sleeping, rushing through my life. In all likelihood, the quality of my work also deteriorated.

I was very fortunate at that stage in my life to learn about meditation and more specifically mindfulness. I have practiced meditation almost every day for the last thirteen years.

For a long time, I practiced in secret. I was fearful of the stigma that comes from admitting to colleagues that I was susceptible to stress and that I needed something like mindfulness practice to help me deal with it. Unfortunately, I believe that that same stigma still exists in the legal profession.

Over the years I have trained, first as a yoga teacher (I am a registered member of Yoga Alliance UK & Ireland and hold RYT 500 Experienced Teacher certification) and also as a mindfulness teacher with the Institute for Mindfulness Based Approaches. I am fortunate to have trained and studied with some of the most experienced meditation teachers in the world. I am a director and founding member of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland.

I combine my understanding of the challenges of the legal profession with my experience as a mindfulness teacher. I know from personal experience that a career in law can be very rewarding but that it can also be stressful. Recent studies carried out by the Law Society of England and Wales and the American Bar Association confirm that lawyers are particularly susceptible to stress, anxiety and depression. There is now a significant body of scientific research which confirms the benefits of practicing mindfulness . I can also assure you (from personal experience) that even a small amount of regular practice can greatly enhance your quality of life and make you a happier, better lawyer. I sincerely hope to meet you in person someday on one of our courses!