This MCLE is presented by Michelle Galloway, a former partner and currently Of Counsel in Cooley’s IP litigation group. Today, she speaks regularly to different organizations on issues related to engaging top talent and strategies to work efficiently and effectively on complex problems and in diverse teams. She also teaches at Stanford Law School and Santa Clara University School of Law.  

This one-hour MCLE in the Wellness Competency explores the question: what actually goes on in our brains in a distracted world?  Brains are primed to process incoming  stimuli  for  survival  –  but  not  for  today’s  “wired”  technological  world  of smartphones,  email,  and  instant  communications.    With  overwhelming  amounts  of information and distractions, it is hard to give productive focus to critical cognitive tasks.  We tend to default to habits, or hard wired, recognized patterns, which are not always aligned with our professional goals.  What if we could learn not only to maintain and sustain focus but also to create new habits, or change?  We will discuss current neuroscience research on using the brain’s wiring to conquer distractions and to focus on essential cognitive tasks.

Please join us by registering with our Co-Program Committee Chair, Bailey Hughes, at bhughes@lozanosmith.com by February 26, 2026 and providing your name, bar number (if you have one), email, and phone. For non-members, you may pay using either Venmo (@MontereyCounty WomenLawyers) or by mailing checks made out to MCWLA to P.O. Box 695, Monterey, CA 93940. Please note that  this is not considered a “good or service” so do not toggle “Turn on for purchases” if paying through Venmo.  

MCWLA is a MCLE Approved Activity Provider by the State Bar of California.