On the heels of a successful trial program in its Chicago office, BigLaw firm Kirkland & Ellis is expanding the Life XT “emotional fitness” training program to all of its offices according to a May 4, 2016 abajournal.com article titled “Kirkland & Ellis to offer ’emotional fitness’ training at all law offices.”  The program is reportedly aimed at reducing stress and improving coping skills and includes workshops, weekly e-newsletters and on-site meditation and yoga sessions.

Described as “P90X for the soul,” by Life XT co-founder Eric Langshur, the program is billed by Life-xt.com as:

Life Cross Training (LIFE XT) is a human performance program that provides your team with the necessary tools to increase resilience to stress and maximize productivity, joy, and meaning.

So why should a program about productivity and attorney emotional wellness be of interest to legal consumers?  Because increased “emotional fitness” can mean increased emotional intelligence.  And attorneys who are more emotionally intelligent can better empathize with their clients, and that can lead to more respectful, positive and productive interactions and better attorney/client relationships.

We hope this type of program and the thinking behind it catches on.  Because “emotional fitness” training for lawyers is brilliant.