Legal Services State Support is pleased to announce that Sharon Browning, Esq. of JUST Listening will address attendees in a morning plenary at this year’s Statewide Conference. Browning is an attorney, former executive director of Philadelphia VIP, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia, and an educator in the sociology department at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia. She is a trained mediator, as well as a retreat facilitator, trained spiritual guide, and motivator. Browning coordinates JUST Listening, a social enterprise fostering personal and social change and transformation through the practice and teaching of mindful listening and communication skills. The work of JUST Listening is twofold: the facilitation of training workshops, retreats, and ‘difficult’ conversations, focusing primarily on those working with marginalized individuals and groups, and the training for and supervision of Listening projects in which volunteers JUST Listen to people on the social margins.
In her plenary for the legal services community, Browning will discuss the transformational power of non-egoic communication and the role of integrative listening in the work setting. She will describe non-
egoic listening techniques and how they can be applied in legal settings to improve staff cohesion, morale, productivity, and wellness, as well as enhanced relationships and increased efficacy for clients.
Browning will also present two one-hour break-out sessions designed to develop advanced communication skills for conference attendees who wish to delve deeper. Listen to Browning’s recent podcast “Listening: An Act of Love.”
JUST Listening clients include the American Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, the American Association of Physician Liaisons, National Nursing Centers Consortium, City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health and many more.
Stay-tuned for more information about this year’s conference, Mental Health and Legal Practice: A Holistic View, at Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center, November 2 - 4, 2022. Registration will open in early September.