James Dolan

November 13, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

Lawyers suffer from increased rates of depression, suicide and addiction. As a matter of fact, it appears that addiction occurs in lawyers at about twice the rate as that in general American society, which already is quite prone to addiction.

By James Dolan

6 minute read

September 02, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

Shame and its half-brother, guilt, live in the close, shadowy quarters of the human soul. They often don't know which of them should step forward into the light of day, but they are always that soul's uninvited guests. And that soul is all of us, says professional coach and psychotherapist James Dolan.

By James Dolan

6 minute read

July 01, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

Up to a point, it is possible to handle the bad boss, says commentator James Dolan. Knowing how to do it is a major part of being an effective steward of one's own career. It requires one key step that can be extremely challenging for lawyers: getting one's ego out of the way.

By James Dolan

6 minute read

April 22, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

Sometimes lawyers fall short their efforts to bring in business, despite their technical skills. While it may be counterintuitive, approaching potential clients with vulnerability can be far more successful than adopting a battleground mentality.

By James Dolan

5 minute read

October 31, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

In contemporary law practice, particularly in litigation, the expert witness in psychology — psychiatrists, forensic psychologists, psychotherapists and so on — increasingly is a member of the teams on opposite sides of a courtroom. Litigators need at least a passing sense of some of the language used by experts in this field, writes James Dolan.

By James Dolan

6 minute read

August 13, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

Trust is an irreplaceable element of the service lawyers provide, writes James Dolan. When that trust is broken, consequences for attorneys can include lost business and even malpractice suits. Possessing merely a shallow understanding of trust can leave lawyers unprepared to navigate the complexities of client relationships, he adds.

By James Dolan

5 minute read

May 31, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

Psychotherapist James Dolan says that whenever someone mentions that he "might be a sex addict" or that her "husband/boyfriend/acquaintance is a sex addict," he often thinks, "And who isn't?" Where pleasure is involved, all humans have the potential for addiction. For lawyers, it's tempting to point the finger of blame at the stress of practice, but Dolan says it is his feeling that the sex-addict lawyer arrives at the firm fully formed and already addicted.

By James Dolan

6 minute read

June 04, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

Psychotherapist James Dolan says that whenever someone mentions that he "might be a sex addict" or that her "husband/boyfriend/acquaintance is a sex addict," he often thinks, "And who isn't?" Where pleasure is involved, all humans have the potential for addiction. For lawyers, it's tempting to point the finger of blame at the stress of practice, but Dolan says it is his feeling that the sex-addict lawyer arrives at the firm fully formed and already addicted.

By James Dolan

5 minute read

April 26, 2013 | New Jersey Law Journal

Sometimes lawyers fall short in their efforts to bring in business, despite their technical skills. While it may be counterintuitive, approaching potential clients with vulnerability can be far more successful than adopting a battleground mentality.

By James Dolan

5 minute read

March 19, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

Fear is something all attorneys feel but few are comfortable acknowledging, writes James Dolan. Many rush past feelings of fear, preferring the emotions of anger or blame. To overcome obstacles in their practices, however, attorneys must learn to face the dragons of their fears, rather than avoiding those things that scare them. Let's consider the mysterious nature of fear and how it guides law practice.

By James Dolan

4 minute read