2022 Annual Spring Meeting
During ABI’s Annual Spring Meeting in April, the committee presented a program titled, “How Stress and Remote Work Affect Mediation,” in which Dr. Bruce S. Rabin, a professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, spoke about the mental and physical effects of stress and discussed skills to help minimize the effect of stress. Dr. Rabin was highly recommended by judges who have heard him speak on topics related to stress and stress management for the Federal Judicial Center and at circuit conferences.

Dr. Rabin explained the health effects of stress. For example, he discussed how our brains sense stress, and how stress affects our brains. Among other things, stress causes the release of a hormone called cortisol that inhibits our ability to focus, to think clearly and to act rationally. Dr. Rabin also told us how reducing stress can reduce your cholesterol levels.

Dr. Rabin gave us several strategies to mitigate the effects of stress, including meditation, having positive social interactions (as Dr. Rabin said, “loneliness kills”), being physically active (walking at a relatively fast pace works wonders), having a sense of humor, participating in religious or other calming activities, writing about the issues that are causing stress, and being optimistic. Dr. Rabin noted that people who are high in optimism tend to be much healthier than those who are low in optimism.

Separately, during the ASM, our committee organized an informal gathering of members and member prospects. Everyone had a great time!

JF: Tell me a bit about how you became interested in mediation.

LK: Many years ago, the state courts in Maine put together a corps of lawyers who were interested in neutral intervention to look at and filter cases going to trial. I volunteered and began to appreciate the importance of seeking a resolution through negotiation with counsel. I learned early on that resolving problems through discussion with opposing counsel is often based upon personal and professional relationships. I began to limit my practice to bankruptcy where the focus is on solving problems with limited resources in a short amount of time. When I took the bench, I began mediating cases for colleagues.