<![CDATA[Lawyers as Healers]]>“The obligation of our profession is, or has long been thought to be, to serve as healers of human conflict.”
— Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, The State of Justice, Address to the American Bar Association (1971).

What would the legal system look like if lawyers actually lived up to that idea?

Healing Law explores a quiet revolution happening inside the legal profession — a growing movement of lawyers who are rethinking how law is practiced and how conflict is resolved.

Host Dave Albrechta, a coach, mediator, and recovering litigator, shares his own journey away from traditional adversarial practice and toward approaches that prioritize healing, understanding, and resolution.

Through solo episodes and conversations with lawyers who are pioneering new ways of practicing, this podcast challenges conventional assumptions about law, justice, and conflict.

If you're curious about what the legal system could become, and the people working to transform it from within, you're in the right place.

www.davealbrechta.com

]]>www.davealbrechta.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:53:18 GMTThu, 02 Apr 2026 22:12:55 GMT60Dave Albrechta<p>“The obligation of our profession is, or has long been thought to be, to serve as healers of human conflict.”<br />— Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, <i>The State of Justice</i>, Address to the American Bar Association (1971).</p><p></p><p>What would the legal system look like if lawyers actually lived up to that idea?</p><p></p><p><i>Healing Law</i> explores a quiet revolution happening inside the legal profession — a growing movement of lawyers who are rethinking how law is practiced and how conflict is resolved.</p><p></p><p>Host Dave Albrechta, a coach, mediator, and recovering litigator, shares his own journey away from traditional adversarial practice and toward approaches that prioritize healing, understanding, and resolution.</p><p></p><p>Through solo episodes and conversations with lawyers who are pioneering new ways of practicing, this podcast challenges conventional assumptions about law, justice, and conflict.</p><p></p><p>If you're curious about what the legal system could become, and the people working to transform it from within, you're in the right place.</p><p></p><p>www.davealbrechta.com</p>episodicDave Albrechtadave@tallgrasscollective.orgno<![CDATA[Ep. 04 - When the Career You Built No Longer Fits Who You Are]]>What happens when the career you’ve built no longer fits who you’re becoming?

In this episode, I share the story behind my transition away from litigation and into a different way of thinking about law, conflict, and my role in the world.

After a decade as an employment litigator, everything looked successful on paper. But internally, I was dealing with constant anxiety and a growing sense of misalignment—between how I was living, how I was practicing law, and the values I was teaching my kids at home.

That tension eventually reached a point where it could no longer be ignored.

This episode is about that moment—and what came after.

I talk about:

  • the quiet signals we tend to ignore
  • the difference between managing symptoms and addressing root causes
  • the experience that forced me to confront what wasn’t working
  • and the beginning of a shift toward a more aligned way of living and working

This isn’t a story about having everything figured out.

It’s about what happens when you start asking questions you can’t un-ask.

If something in your life feels off—even if everything looks “fine” from the outside—this conversation is for you.

]]>33decfd5-747e-413f-96ec-8d5c3c0c1871Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:17:49 GMT<p>What happens when the career you’ve built no longer fits who you’re becoming?</p><p></p><p>In this episode, I share the story behind my transition away from litigation and into a different way of thinking about law, conflict, and my role in the world.</p><p></p><p>After a decade as an employment litigator, everything looked successful on paper. But internally, I was dealing with constant anxiety and a growing sense of misalignment—between how I was living, how I was practicing law, and the values I was teaching my kids at home.</p><p></p><p>That tension eventually reached a point where it could no longer be ignored.</p><p></p><p>This episode is about that moment—and what came after.</p><p></p><p>I talk about:</p><p></p><ul><li>the quiet signals we tend to ignore</li><li>the difference between managing symptoms and addressing root causes</li><li>the experience that forced me to confront what wasn’t working</li><li>and the beginning of a shift toward a more aligned way of living and working</li></ul><p></p><p>This isn’t a story about having everything figured out.</p><p>It’s about what happens when you start asking questions you can’t un-ask.</p><p></p><p>If something in your life feels off—even if everything looks “fine” from the outside—this conversation is for you.</p>no00:23:324Ep. 04 - When the Career You Built No Longer Fits Who You Arefull<![CDATA[Ep. 03 - A Blind Spot in Legal Education: Why Aren’t Lawyers Trained in Human Conflict?]]>In this episode of Lawyers as Healers, I explore a strange reality about the legal profession: lawyers spend their careers working in human conflict, yet most receive little or no training in the basics of conflict itself.

Law school teaches doctrine, legal analysis, and how to pass the bar exam. But it rarely teaches the psychology of conflict or the communication tools that help people engage in healthy conflict.

Drawing on my own experience as a litigator and my later training in mediation, I reflect on the moment I realized how much of this knowledge was missing from my legal education—and why that absence shapes the way lawyers approach disputes.

If lawyers are meant to serve as “healers of human conflict,” we may need to examine what is missing from our training.

]]>cdb2ced1-e854-430b-9157-1d200d59ba47Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:52:21 GMT<p>In this episode of <i>Lawyers as Healers</i>, I explore a strange reality about the legal profession: lawyers spend their careers working in human conflict, yet most receive little or no training in the basics of conflict itself.</p><p></p><p>Law school teaches doctrine, legal analysis, and how to pass the bar exam. But it rarely teaches the psychology of conflict or the communication tools that help people engage in healthy conflict.</p><p></p><p>Drawing on my own experience as a litigator and my later training in mediation, I reflect on the moment I realized how much of this knowledge was missing from my legal education—and why that absence shapes the way lawyers approach disputes.</p><p></p><p>If lawyers are meant to serve as “healers of human conflict,” we may need to examine what is missing from our training.</p>no00:21:49Ep. 03 - A Blind Spot in Legal Education: Why Aren’t Lawyers Trained in Human Conflict?full<![CDATA[Ep. 02 - Why Do We Go To Law School: Intention vs. Practice.]]>This episode explores the concept of lawyers as healers and the tension between the original intent of becoming a lawyer and the reality of legal practice. It delves into the childhood influence of becoming a lawyer, the motivation for becoming a lawyer, the shift that occurs in law school, and the incoherence of legal practice.

Takeaways

  • Lawyers as healers
  • The tension between the original intent of becoming a lawyer and the reality of legal practice

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction to Lawyers as Healers
  • 07:51 Motivation for Becoming a Lawyer
  • 13:11 The Shift in Legal Education
  • 18:12 The Incoherence of Legal Practice
]]>dce59c9b-df8e-4ef6-93e4-e831b0806f2fSat, 11 Apr 2026 05:21:43 GMT<p>This episode explores the concept of lawyers as healers and the tension between the original intent of becoming a lawyer and the reality of legal practice. It delves into the childhood influence of becoming a lawyer, the motivation for becoming a lawyer, the shift that occurs in law school, and the incoherence of legal practice.</p><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>Lawyers as healers</li><li>The tension between the original intent of becoming a lawyer and the reality of legal practice</li></ul><p></p><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 Introduction to Lawyers as Healers</li><li>07:51 Motivation for Becoming a Lawyer</li><li>13:11 The Shift in Legal Education</li><li>18:12 The Incoherence of Legal Practice</li></ul>no00:22:562Ep. 02 - Why Do We Go To Law School: Intention vs. Practice.full<![CDATA[Ep. 01 - Can Lawyers be healers of human conflict?]]>In the first episode of Lawyers as Healers, host Dave Albrechta introduces the central idea behind the podcast: that the legal profession may have a deeper calling than simply resolving disputes. Reflecting on a quote from Chief Justice Warren Burger and his own journey from a decade of employment litigation to mediation and coaching, Dave explores why the concept of lawyers as healers of human conflict initially seemed absurd to him—and why he now believes it may be essential to the future of the profession. This episode sets the stage for the series by examining burnout in adversarial practice, the limits of settlement and resolution, and why a more human-centered approach to conflict may be needed now more than ever.

]]>5b78b9e0-c687-45b9-a685-70309bd37b00Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:39:54 GMT<p>In the first episode of <i>Lawyers as Healers</i>, host Dave Albrechta introduces the central idea behind the podcast: that the legal profession may have a deeper calling than simply resolving disputes. Reflecting on a quote from Chief Justice Warren Burger and his own journey from a decade of employment litigation to mediation and coaching, Dave explores why the concept of lawyers as <i>healers of human conflict</i> initially seemed absurd to him—and why he now believes it may be essential to the future of the profession. This episode sets the stage for the series by examining burnout in adversarial practice, the limits of settlement and resolution, and why a more human-centered approach to conflict may be needed now more than ever.</p>no00:13:33Ep. 01 - Can Lawyers be healers of human conflict?full