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In 2015, Fairfax criminal lawyer Jon Katz finished court earlier than expected, and beelined to the Mindful Leadership conference in Crystal City, Virginia, in part to meet speaker Roshi Joan Halifax. Snagging a ticket to this soldout event, Jon met Roshi Joan, and also sat mesmerized by speaker Jim Dethmer's (co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group) talk about conscious leadership, and about the difference between leading from above the line (where one is open, curious, and not attacking) versus from below the line. This conscious leadership approach is fully addressed in The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp.

The challenges abound for criminal defense lawyers and their clients to get sidetracked by actually or apparently slinged mud, heartlessness, dehumanization efforts, underhandedness and prevarication from various quarters in the courthouse and beyond. Getting angry and misdirected is weakening. Smiling in the face of proverbial flying vomit and diarrhea -- when knowing the possibilities of sweet success that may be right around the corner -- is the powerful way to proceed.

Conscious Leadership's Deb Katz pulls no punches in addressing how she transitioned from years of proceeding as an unconscious leader to a conscious one. She talks about how it is possible to say f--k you from above the line, and how sweetness does not automatically put one above the line. Deb addresses how Conscious Leadership draws on numerous pre-existing approaches to leading in a beneficial way. She and Jon both benefit from the teachings and practices of Ho'oponopono, which is featured on a previous Beat The Prosecution podcast episode.

This conversation between Jon Katz and Deb Katz (same last name, but no close family connection) dives deep into transitioning into the conscious leadership approach.

The universal and Apple podcasts URL for this episode are at https://podcast.beattheprosecution.com/2293867/episodes/15777966

and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675?i=1000669998168

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://BeatTheProsecution.com or contact us at info@BeatTheProsecution.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text). Hear our prior podcasts, at https://podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com/

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

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Criminal defense usually includes keeping the burden with the prosecution to attempt to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. That approach can be turned upside down with activists who broadcast their actions loudly and clearly. Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan Katz first faced that situation when teaming with Ramsey Clark to defend four Plowshares activists who hammered on warplanes outfitted to fire depleted uranium missiles. The four defendants' openness about their actions made winning the destruction of property count a challenge to win at their jury trial, while pretrial, Jon still convinced the trial judge to dismiss the sabotage and sabotage conspiracy counts.

Early in his criminal defense career, Jon Katz heard Gerald Lefcourt tell about how his client Abby Hoffman sought for Lefcourt to keep him out of jail so that he could pursue his activism. Jon wondered if he had missed the boat for defending activists until he was asked to defend the Plowshares. Ramsey Clark told Jon that the opportunities to defend activists are many, at least when doing so pro bono. When Jon asked about a lawyer(s) to turn to for suggestions for defending activists, Mark Goldstone's name immediately came up. Mark was delighted when he received a court appointment for an activist protesting in the Capitol against Ronald Reagan's policies in supporting anti-communist combatants in Nicaragua, and was even more delighted when the lawyers for the 130 other defendants withdrew their representation, leaving those defendants with Mark.

When Jon met Mark, Mark led the demonstrations committee of the local National Lawyers Guild, which Jon Katz first joined because of its work for criminal defendants and immigrants, and its stand for racial justice and gender equality, but left several years later when the group became too doctrinaire, and even issued a call to support Muntadhar al-Zaid -- who in 2008 threw his shoes at George W. Bush in Iraq -- and called to donate shoes for needy people, with not a peep against violence that was part of the shoe throwing.

Over the decades, Mark has become a go-to lawyer for political activists -- including supporting their First Amendment free expression rights -- and for judges seeking criminal defense lawyers for appointments for such defense. Mark is a devoted, principled and caring person and attorney. Jon has great respect for him.

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://BeatTheProsecution.com or contact us at info@BeatTheProsecution.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text). Hear our prior podcasts, at https://podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com/

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675

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Reaching and being in a state of zero is vital for Fairfax, Northern Virginia criminal defense and DUI lawyer Jonathan Katz. Jon Katz has learned and applies this approach of zero through taijiquan, mindfulness, nonduality, and Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono (SITH). Taijiquan master Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo taught that by being at zero, we are never chasing nor letting outside forces nor influences guide our path. Mindfulness helps us clean our internal gunk and vibrate away new gunk. Nonduality / non-attachment enables us to find, harness and unleash our power internally, without gauging our well being by outside circumstances, and helps us live in the moment. The samurai who is not in the moment, is fearful of possible death, and is thinking of their next move is more likely to have their head lopped off. Self Identity Through Ho'oponopono is about taking personal responsibility -- which is also central to conscious leadership -- for what we are experiencing and perceiving; cleaning our internal gunk, data and memories; and emanating that approach to the benefit of our family members and everyone else.

No matter how sensible or not the foregoing practices appear at first, this approach works powerfully for Jon Katz both in his criminal defense work and in his personal life. Jon learned about SITH in 2011, and that year met one of its main teachers and practitioners -- and Jon's very important teacher Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, whose first words to Jon upon their meeting each other was "lawyer". Dr. Hew Len was a psychologist, dealing with plenty of people experiencing psychological imbalance, and Jon Katz deals with people having such experiences through his criminal defense work.

Ihaleakala Hew Len took his last breath in 2022. Kamaile Rafaelovich (also spelled Kamailelauli'I) -- known as KR -- is president of IZI, LLC, which teaches and applies SITH. KR learned about SITH from its founder Morrnah Simeona before Dr. Hew Len started learning from Morrnah. KR has blessed Jon by joining him for this podcast. If the ideas and messages in this podcast episode do not resonate with you the first time, you may find that they make sense after listening

This podcast with Fairfax, Virginia criminal / DUI lawyer Jon Katz is playable on all devices at podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com. For more information, visit https://BeatTheProsecution.com or contact us at info@BeatTheProsecution.com, 703-383-1100 (calling), or 571-406-7268 (text). Hear our prior podcasts, at https://podcast.BeatTheProsecution.com/

If you like what you hear on our Beat the Prosecution podcast, please take a moment to post a review at our Apple podcasts page (with stars only, or else also with a comment) at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beat-the-prosecution/id1721413675