Summary:
In this podcast, Jeff Carolin, a lawyer, talks about his journey of moving away from the adversarial legal system towards transformative justice and conflict transformation. He shares his experiences of feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from his work in the legal system, and how he found a sense of purpose in working with restorative justice networks and connecting with organizations like Bloom. Overall, Jeff's story highlights the importance of empathy, emotional vulnerability, and restoration in conflict resolution.
A little note, Jeff acknowledges that he got confused at one point in the podcast when he tried to attribute an MLK quote to Lilla Watson (whose name he had forgotten). Both of these inspirational leaders share(d) a vision for our collective liberation."
Bio:
Jeff is fascinated by human relationships and the systems they are embedded in. During 10 years of practice as a criminal defence lawyer for some of the most marginalized people in our society, he has seen up close the harm to relationships that systemic inequality can give rise to, and the further harm that our adversarial system can cause to all involved as it attempts to dispense "justice". He has also supported mediation and transformative justice processes that prove that another path is possible -- that healing and hope can emerge from the darkest of moments. These experiences have inspired him both to evolve his practice towards conflict mediation & transformative justice facilitation, as well as to deepen the work he has been doing upstream of conflict & harm for 15 years by supporting groups of people transform the way they relate to themselves and each other in the context of inequitable systems. For more, check outjeffcarolin.ca.
Adaptagen host, Nadia Chaney, is a seasoned facilitator and the founder of Toolsi, an on-demand facilitation training program. For more information go to www.nadiachaney.com
