Flexible Benefits

In 2016, as Michele Dinterman was about to begin her career at Niles, Barton & Wilmer in Baltimore, she was looking for relief. “So I decided to take a yoga class,” says the civil litigation defense attorney, “and I ended up loving it.”

So much so that Dinterman decided to take the teacher training as well. “I was essentially learning to litigate at the same time as becoming a yoga instructor. It ended up being incredibly impactful on my life in a ton of different ways. And it honestly made me a better attorney,” she says. “I have more confidence in myself, because when you have to speak for an hour to a room full of people staring at you, you get comfortable. You’re also reading the room, assessing, listening, and making changes based on what you see.”

Yoga provides much needed clarity, too, Dinterman adds. “It allows me to clear my mind and focus on something else—if I’m stressed out about a case or something. But I find I also come out with better ideas because it gives that mental break.”

Dinterman still leads classes at CorePower Yoga in Federal Hill, as well as sessions before DRI’s annual meeting and a Law Firm Alliance conference. “I know it’s cliché to say it’s life-changing, but it really is,” she says. “It makes me a better mom, a better partner to my husband, and a better litigator and manager of associates because I pay attention to people’s needs and advocate for them.”