< PreviousFor the past three years, I have served as a “sleep dip- lomat” to the legal profession. No one appointed me to this position. And I can’t really say it is part of my “official duties.” But the neuroscience literature on the link between sleep and health is stunning. It has been a game- changer for me, and I am hoping it will be for you as well. Sleep is the foundation of good health. The shorter you sleep, the shorter your life. Every aspect of our physiology is impacted by sleep. Our cognitive function is severely impaired by lack of sleep, including our memories, creativ- ity, wisdom, and emotional intelligence. Sleep disruption contributes to all major psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality. The leading causes of disease and death in the industrialized world are causally linked with lack of sleep—including cardiovascular dis- ease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, obesity, and alzheimer’s. We need 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep each night to maintain cognitive performance. After 16 hours of being awake, the brain begins to fail. We cannot catch up on our sleep later. The brain does not work like a bank. The brain can never recover the sleep it has missed. Sleeping even seven hours per day for 10 days makes the brain just as dysfunctional as it would be after going without sleep for 24 hours. SLEEPING TIPS: 1. Stick to a sleep schedule and go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. 2. Sleep in a dark, cool (65 to 67 degrees), gadget-free bedroom. Take a hot bath be- fore bedtime, which will help you relax and drop your core body temperature. 3. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, which are sleep disruptors. 4. Avoid medications that interfere with sleep, if possible. Sleeping pills are a seda- tive and do not induce natural sleep. 5. Try to exercise no later than two to three hours before your bedtime. 6. Late at night, avoid large meals and bev- erages, which can interfere with sleep. 7. A nap as short as 20 minutes can offer a memory con- solidation advantage. Don’t take naps after 3:00 p.m. because it makes it harder to fall asleep at night. 8. If you can’t sleep, get up and leave your bedroom and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. This will help reduce any association your brain makes be- tween wakefulness and your bedroom. 9. Consider “sleep divorce.” If your partner snores loud- ly or keeps you up at night, consider sleeping in a separate bedroom. If you are worried about decreased opportunities for intimacy, sleep enhances interest in intimacy as well as reproductive capabilities. 10. LED lights wind back our internal 24-hour clock by two to three hours, on average. Using LED devices at night such as iPads, phones, and computers disrupts our natural sleep rhythms and hurts the quality and quantity of our sleep. 11. Learn more about sleep, performance, and well-being by reading Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep. ROBIN WOLPERT IS AN APPELLATE LAWYER, COM- PLEX CIVIL LITIGATOR, AND CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY AT SAPIENTIA LAW GROUP IN MINNE- APOLIS. SHE IS SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL CON- FERENCE OF BAR PRESIDENTS, ABA HOUSE DEL- EGATE, MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON LAWYER WELL-BEING, CHAIR OF THE LAWYERS PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY BOARD, AND PAST MSBA PRESIDENT (2016-17). 651-646-5590 . 866-525-6466 . help@mnlcl.org 24-Hour Helpline: 888-243-5744 Prescription for Well-Being – Sleep BY ROBIN M. WOLPERT ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MINNESOTA · V OL. 9 NO. 9 20If you’ve done this job long enough, you’ve observed attorneys whose demean- ors seem better suited for Thun- derdome than litigation. There’s little I have more disdain for than a bully (introspection disclaimer: I recognize one person’s bully might be another’s hero). No one should be mean for sport or self-satisfac- tion. However, there are times in this profession where we need to be stern and comfortable with be- ing unpopular. Everyone makes mistakes in whatever role they perform in the legal world. We have more control over preventing some mistakes than others. As our practices ex- pand, we have no choice but to rely on others for support if our goal is continued growth in number and scope of cases. At some point, we unfortunately can’t recheck every pinpoint citation to fact or law. We have to trust that the person we’re paying gives us the right informa- tion. If we’re going to trust the people working for us, we have to take an active role in helping them get bet- ter. When material mistakes are made, we can’t leave our employees with the impression that they did everything perfectly if they didn’t. Some people need that conversa- tion to be very firm. I typically need to be hit with a brick for things to sink in. Every person and relation- ship is different, but it’s critical not to send mixed messages. It builds resentment towards a more disas- trous dénouement. For similar reasons, we owe it to our clients to be firm with op- posing counsel, when necessary. I like to make friends as much as anyone, but my obligations of zeal- ous advocacy demand that I hold opposing parties and their counsel accountable. If a party is dishon- est in their discovery obligations, I owe it to my clients to press that issue as hard as possible. For a solo or small firm often working on a contingency fee, that can be tax- ing, but it’s unethical to take cases if we’re not prepared to fight the important battles in them. I do not believe opposing coun- sel should always be let off the hook. While we often preach not taking matters personally, that’s not a virtue I can always abide by. There are rare instances where it seems fairly obvious that an attor- ney plays a role in concealing in- formation or manufacturing false testimony. I can’t help but to take that personally. It often results in some series of events that takes my time away from my family or other substantive case issues. My East Coast roots only allow me to be so Minnesota Nice. Sometimes, we just need to say the things that need to be said. JEFF STORMS IS A PART- NER AT NEWMARK STORMS DWORAK LLC. HE HAS A DIVERSE LITI- GATION PRACTICE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PLAIN- TIFF’S CIVIL RIGHTS AND SEXUAL ABUSE LITIGATION. JEFF IS A PEREN- NIAL SUPER LAWYER AND HAS TWICE BEEN NAMED AN “ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR” BY MINNESOTA LAWYER. A TRUSTED REFERRAL CHRISTOPHER K. LARUS ROBINS KAPLAN LLP At Robins Kaplan, there are no dabblers. We are a national boutique trial law firm known for zealously representing a wide range of innovative companies in high stakes IP and technology disputes. Our clients range across a broad spectrum, including some of the largest technology oriented companies in the world, highly innovative emerging companies, and individual inventors, authors and developers. Our strong focus on trial practice and willingness to share risk make us a trusted referral partner to other law firms throughout the country who frequently call upon us to serve as litigation counsel, take over pending cases heading to trial, or act as co-counsel in cases related to: • Patents • Trade Secrets • Copyrights • Litigation • License Disputes • Software disputes • Trade Secret • Trademark, Advertising, and Brand protection Contact us to identify shared opportunities to leverage our respective strengths and increase the likelihood of success for your clients. 800 553 9910 ROBINSKAPLAN.COM ON YOUR OWN: Drop the Niceties BY JEFF STORMS AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 21AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS PRESS RELEASES EVENTS PROMOTIONS ACTIVITES HONORS RECOGNITIONS TALK TOWN of the VIEW View the latest news from lawyers, law firms and associations at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ talk-of-the-town/ SUBSCRIBE Want to stay-up-to date? Subscribe to the weekly newsletter at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ subscribe/ SUBMIT Want to share your news? Submit your press release at attorneyatlawmagazine.com/ submit-news/ Stellpflug Law PLLC announced that Zoe I. Graham has joined the firm as a law clerk. Graham is the first addition to the firm’s team since its launch in July of 2020. Graham at- tends Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she expects to earn her Juris Doctor in May. Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A. announced the addition of attorney Amber N. Garry. Garry focuses her practice on repre- senting and counseling healthcare providers in claims of malpractice, in their dealings with professional li- censing boards, and in responding to regulatory investigations. Kristi J. Paulson has announced she has formed PowerHouse Media- tion, a company that provides civil and family mediation services for cli- ents and their attorneys, both in per- son and online. PowerHouse Media- tion also provides MN Rule 114 and ND Rule 8.9 training seminars for mediator and arbitrators. Paulson brings over 25 years of experience as a trial attorney to the mediation realm Halunen Law announced attorney Maria Shatonova has joined the firm’s Employment Law practice group. A graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Shatonova brings a deep-seat- ed commitment to her representation of individuals who have suffered wrongful termination, discrimina- tion, sexual assault or harassment, or other illegal workplace actions. Barnes & Thornburg has added Mark Stignani as a partner in its Minneapolis office. Stignani joins the firm’s Corporate Department and brings a consultative, data-driven ap- proach to client matters. 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