ALEXIS FIREHAWK: SHAREHOLDER, CARPENTER HAZELWOOD IN PHOENIX

MINDFUL LEADERS IN THE LAW: An interview with Alexis Firehawk

Welcome to the May edition of the Mindful Leaders in the Law interview series.  Our goal, through this series, is not only to strengthen our community by sharing interesting conversations with some of the amazing individuals who make-up MILS. We hope, by spotlighting the paths and practices of others, to also inspire and empower our members to build their mindfulness practices in creative ways that are uniquely satisfying to them. 

This month I connected with Alexis Firehawk, who is a shareholder at Carpenter Hazelwood in Phoenix. I asked Lex about how she manages to build mindfulness into her busy schedule, her thoughts about whether law students and young lawyers prioritize their well-being and what informal practices she uses to stay grounded when she doesn’t have time for a formal sit.  Many thanks to Lex for sharing with the MILS community her unique path of integrating mindfulness and well-being practices into her life as an attorney.  

Q: How did you begin practicing mindfulness? 

A: I am fortunate to have been raised with mindfulness practice in my life. My aunt regularly meditated and welcomed us kids to join her. She spoke of connecting with breath and quoted Eckhart Tolle. I believe mindfulness was the underpinning to a growth mindset for me that brought me out of a childhood of poverty and allowed me the grit to attain academic and career achievements no one in my family ever had. 

I started my own mindfulness practice through yoga when I was in college and practiced more regularly after law school. I connected with Donn Kessler several years ago and consider him to be my mentor in mindfulness in the law, though we’ve never labeled our friendship that way. I knew I was at a turning point when I mentioned mindfulness in my response for “Aspects of 2019 Performance Most Proud Of” in my annual self-evaluation for my law firm. 

I took my first mindfulness course last December through Arizona State University’s Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience called the Mindfulness Leadership Certificate. I am currently part of the 2022 Cohort of Warrior One Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training with Judi Cohen and her wonderful team. 

Q: Working mindfulness into your life as a busy lawyer can be challenging. Do you find ways to integrate your law and mindfulness practices? 

A: My mindfulness practice now is rooted in yoga, diaphragmatic breathing, and mindful movement like hiking and paddle boarding in nature. With regard to integration, I find what I call “mindfulness moments” throughout the day. These are quiet moments (sometimes just 30 seconds) disconnected from all the stimulation, that add up to peace for me. 

Q: I know that you manage your Firm’s summer associate program. In general, do the law students and young lawyers you work with prioritize their well-being or would you say it more often takes time and experience for them to come around to valuing mindfulness and their well-being? 

A: Generally, I find law students and young lawyers valuing well-being and willing to speak about it more than older lawyers. I find this inspiring. I believe that general awareness about mental health is acknowledged more “nowadays” in the law school setting and by the ABA and State Bars. There seems to be more programming around the subject of mindfulness and stress management. I find this to be a positive influence, and a necessary one – particularly for the stressors that arise in private practice. In my roles with the Summer Associate Program and Associate Development, it is my intention to continue our law firm’s culture of prioritizing attorney well-being and understanding that to be a good lawyer, one has to be a healthy lawyer. 

Q: In what way for you is being of service to others an act of self-care? 

A: I am feeling a personal calling right now to speak and share about mindfulness. I am inspired by the MILS DEI Collaborative’s purpose statement to “explore how mindfulness can facilitate and help navigate the challenges to inclusion in the legal profession and the challenges to inclusion to society as a whole.” The service of sharing mindfulness with others, particularly those in the legal profession, with the intention to end suffering is an act of self-care for me because it fosters the quality of compassion. 

Q: Do you have a go to mindfulness practice for those days when you do not have time to do a formal sitting? 

A:  Diaphragmatic breathing. The beauty of this practice for me is that it can be done anywhere subtly when I feel disconnected, or scattered, or start to feel panic. Belly breathing grounds me into my body as an anchor to be in the present moment – in court, in client meetings, and in my personal life as a partner, parent, and friend. 

Q: What advice would you give young lawyers and law students who want to balance their career success with their overall physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being? 

A: My advice is that an awareness and prioritization of overall physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being will not make you a less skillful lawyer. (I hear this as a concern from newer lawyers feeling the pressure to “perform” and be productive.) The opposite is true. A mindfulness practice will not make you a less zealous advocate or a weaker negotiator. Rather, it will heighten your ability to perceive, discern, and communicate.  As the MILS definition of mindfulness states, “Practicing mindfulness cultivates many skills and mental qualities that can be helpful to those in the legal profession, including the ability to focus and concentrate, recognize and let go of distractions, manage stress and other emotions, and accept others openly, compassionately, and authentically.” 

Q: Do you have a favorite quote or expression about mindfulness that reminds you of why mindfulness is a priority in your life? 

A: “Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing.” ~ Ajahn Chah