National Student Division – Georgia State University

Mindfulness in Law Society- Student Division

The national Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) is a community of lawyers, law students, faculty, judges, and others in the legal profession who are interested in mindfulness, yoga, and other contemplative practices. For more information on the MILS parent organization, please visit the national website.

The MILS-Student Division is a subset of the national MILS organization and is a network of mindfulness-based student organizations in law schools around the country. The MILS-Student Division exists to connect law students interested in mindful practice, and to offer centralized resources for law students seeking to create or enhance mindfulness programming at their own university. To see a list of currently affiliated student organizations, please visit the national website.

Create Your Own Mindfulness Program

If you are interested in starting a mindfulness program at your law school, we recommend creating a Mindfulness in Law Society-Student Division chapter. As a MILS- Student Division chapter, you will gain access to a national network of law students practicing mindfulness who can offer guidance as you create your program.

Starting a mindfulness program is much easier with support from your law school’s administration. The links below offer guidance on how to approach your administration about starting a mindfulness program. Additional resources listed below provide studies and articles for why your administration or potential faculty advisors should support a Mindfulness in Law Society at your law school.

Attaining University Support

What is Mindfulness?

This video by Professor Scott Rogers at the University of Miami law school offers a brief explanation of what mindfulness is and how it can benefit the practice of law.

Introduction to Mindfulness

This PowerPoint presentation by Tulane Law Professor Pamela R. Metzger is an excellent resource to introduce the benefits of mindful practice to student groups and administration. The presentation includes a list of law schools with existing Mindfulness programs, law review articles discussing the benefits of mindfulness, and more.

Cure for the Distracted Mind: Why Law Schools Should Teach Mindfulness

This law review article offers a convincing explanation of why mindfulness should be taught in law schools. If your administration is skeptical of the relevance of mindfulness for law students, consider forwarding this article along with your student-organization proposal.

Building a Mindfulness in Law Program

At the 2013 Workshop on Mindfulness in Legal Education at Berkeley Law, Charlie Halpern, Director of the Berkeley Initiative for Mindfulness in Law, discusses the process of developing a comprehensive mindfulness program in a law school, including gaining administrative support, financial backing, and generating student interest.

Meet Your University’s Requirements

Start Your MILS-Student Division Chapter

National MILS encourages students to create an official student organization within their university to promote administrative support and acquire funding for speakers and retreats. Often universities require new student organizations to create bylaws and a constitution. We have provided an easy template for you to write your own Mindfulness in Law Society chapter bylaws and constitution.

MILS-Student Division Sample Statement of Purpose

Universities also often ask for a statement of purpose. The sample statement of purpose above provides you with a starting point for how to draft your own statement of purpose.