One of the major changes in the legal landscape over the last twenty years has been the emergence of various organized groups of lawyers who are practicing law in a "holistic" manner. They are inserting new perspective into the traditional approaches, and they are creating the space where new lawyers can practice law in a manner that feels more consistent with their personal values or spritual traditions. Below are links to some of the organizations that are cultivating and promoting these new approaches. The following list is not exhaustive of the various groups that exist, but provides a selected sample of these approaches for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of these movements.
The Renaissance LawyerThe specific objectives and purposes of Renaissance Lawyer Society are to help create a legal system that works for everyone by bringing together lawyers; judges; legal assistants, secretaries and administrators; other legal professionals and members of the legal community; and all others interested in the law and the legal system, for mutual support, networking, education, and dialogue concerning the overall advance and development of a healthy society through intelligent implementation of the rule of law.
International Alliance of Holistic Lawyers
Holistic law is hard to define. It often seems more a process than a particular method of practicing law. However, there seem to be some common threads among holistic lawyers, which may lead to a practical definition of holistic law.
International Association of Collaborative Lawyers
Collaborative Practice is a new way for a divorcing couple to work as a team with trained professionals to resolve disputes respectfully, without going to court. The term encompasses all of the models that have been developed since Minnesota lawyer Stu Webb created the Collaborative Law model in the 1980s. This model is at the heart of all of Collaborative Practice. Each client has the support, protection and guidance of his or her own lawyer. The lawyers and the clients together comprise the Collaborative Law component of Collaborative Practice.
http://www.restorativejustice.org/
http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/rest-just/
http://www.law.arizona.edu/depts/upr-intj/
http://www.transformingpractices.com/er/rs2.html
http://www2.cwsl.edu/mcgill/mc_main.html
