If you’re like me, the letters CLE, lined up, one next to the other, might not set your pulse racing. Contemplating an hour devoted to continuing legal education, the terms that spring to mind – “somnolent,” “soporific,” “soul-crushing” – seldom correspond to the seat-of-your-pants thrill-seeking typically associated with the practice of law.
Néamoins, as we say à Paris. Il y a des exceptions.
Imagine if CLE could be fun, gripping, in fact – an outlet for a cry of anguish from the depths of your soul – projected before your eyes as if by sorcery! Picture in your mind a CLE that beguiles, entices, titillates…betrays even as, and what, it portrays.
I did. And I had a vision that lit my soul on fire.
And so, in partnership with the gangsta cinematic visionaries of Lawline (including that sultry siren of the silver screen, Sarah Mills!) I crafted what can only be termed the Citizen Kane of CLE videos.
An alchemical admixture that simmers the savage honesty of Godard alongside the fragrant whimsy of Spielberg, baked en croute with a sprinkle of Kurosawa-ian poignance, “Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Competence in the Legal Profession” is an instant classic – often harrowing, sometimes hypnotic – a kaleidoscope of sound and image imbued (merci, M. Kubrick!) with the searing cry of primordial birth pangs exploding across human existence.
Don’t believe me? Here are some clips.
I’ll set them up (since I’ll probably be doing the talk show circuit soon as word spreads and “MHSA&CinLP” becomes an international phenomenon.)
Go ahead, make popcorn, grab a diet root beer. I’ll wait.
We begin with “Understanding Depression and Anxiety in a Law Firm” – the CLE equivalent of the shower scene in Psycho:
Still with me? Need to catch your breath?
Brace yourself for “How Anxiety Works.” Remember the bicycle with E.T. in the basket, lifting off into a starry summer sky? Well, here we go again…
What to say about “How to Handle Being Trapped by Debt & Burnout”? Everyone repeats the same mantra: ‘The Andalusian Dog” meets “Hiroshima, Mon Amour.” But press fast forward, beyond the clichés. Film language is not about words on a page, but light, color…and, perhaps, a smidgen of je ne sais quoi.
There’s no escaping CLE – so why not make it fun, with The People’s Therapist! I’ve just finished helping to create an hour-long CLE On-Demand course concerning law and mental health for the LexisNexis University CLE On-Demand program. The title of the course is “Life is a Brief Opportunity for Joy: Mental Health Awareness in the Legal Profession.”
I’m interviewed during the program by another attorney with a varied and interesting career, Julie Mallin, and the entire program was produced and edited by Lisa Carper, a legal editor at LexisNexis.
I was under strict orders not to wear a suit and tie – just a sweater, to make me look like a therapist (or maybe a therapist/lawyer) instead of just a lawyer. We talked about anxiety and depression and other concerns affecting lawyers, as well as some issues involving legal ethics.
Please check out The People’s Therapist’s legendary best-seller about the sad state of the legal profession: 
My first book is an unusual (and useful) introduction to the concepts underlying psychotherapy:
The People's Therapist 