Madonna and James Arthur Baldwin
The reason that practising Holistic Law is so logical and natural to me, is that we are all of us, lawyers, judges, mediators, clients- human beings; with all our complexities of human emotions. Our emotions have a full range and can be positive or negative. They can drive us to moments of extreme elation, or drown us in darkness, towards suicidal thought.
I’ve never understood how we are supposed to take emotion out of the law; to ‘divorce’ the legal problem or dispute from the client’s emotions. They are in my view, inextricably linked. Why is someone in a toxic and abusive relationship? What made the bully, bully? That is, what truth lies underneath the surface and what triggers what manifests in law-breaking and harmful behaviour?
In managing a client’s case, lawyers do well in becoming aware also of their clients’ emotions and how these are inextricably linked to their legal problem/ dispute so emotions can also be managed for a transformative experience of the Legal Process. A case examined purely superficially will never get to the truth. And if it never gets to the truth, can there truly be ‘justice’ served?
So, what has any of this got to do with Madonna you might ask?! The opening message to Madonna’s concert was a very powerful quote from James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987). It resonated deep within me and I understood it as wholly relevant to my work:
During my 20 plus years of practice as a Barrister, Holistic Lawyer and Mediator I have witnessed that indeed, “Everybody’s hurt”. This witnessing of the hurt was possible through increased awareness built on a practice of observation, self-reflection, contemplation and study. It also required empathy and patience. Holding the space for clients. Creating an environment to make them feel safe to open up, to connect, to let go and surrender their pain so the healing process can start.
I am also alive to the fact that my own pain from childhood when my parents separated, to experiences of betrayal, loss and suppression into adulthood, has been the key that has helped me unlock the pain in others and connect with them at a deeper level of meaning and purpose.
Maybe Holistic Lawyers, Integrative Lawyers, Mindful Lawyers, Meditative Lawyers, Heart-Centred Lawyers, Restorative Lawyers, Lawyers who are Leaders, are all “Artists here to disturb the peace”. This is after all what Martin Luther King and Ghandi did as Lawyers- disturb the ‘peace’ of the status quo to reach a deeper, more meaningful, and just peace.
Outside the venue, I was asked by a Portuguese television station to speak about Madonna. It was a wonderful opportunity to express my gratitude to her and her team, for her decades of motivation and inspiration- for making us think and reminding us to be mindful and always – aware.