IAHL History

Even while he was still in law school, IAHL founder Bill van Zyverden knew he couldn't practice law in that adversarial manner which sometimes leaves all parties feeling as though they'd lost. Instead, he wanted to practice law in a way that was empowering and healing not only for himself but also for his clients. Once he passed the bar, he slowly created a new kind of legal practice, which he christened "holistic law."

As in holistic medicine, holistic law is predicated on the belief that nothing happens out of context. Falling ill or becoming involved in a legal matter does not happen in a vacuum. Rather, a process or series of events is required to bring the person to the point where he develops cancer or she finds herself enveloped in a nasty divorce. This process is mostly unseen, so Bill van Zyverden first helps his clients to understand how they came to this point. Once they have grasped that premise, inner resolution of the conflict can begin.

When Bill graduated from law school, he had no idea whether or not other lawyers felt the same discontent with the adversarial system that he did. To begin finding like-minded attorneys, he sent a one-page letter to all 3,000 members of the Earth Stewards Network, of which he was a member. He introduced himself and his ideas, asking if any lawyer members might be interested in discussing this new concept of legal practice. While he received only two responses, the letter later came to the attention of a New York Times reporter who interviewed Bill and wrote an article about him in April 1992. At that time, the IAHL only had 10 members; within a month of the article appearing, that number jumped to 40 and then doubled the month after that. Today, the IAHL has members around the world.

The IAHL continues to grow today as members continue to look for ways to enhance their own lives and the lives of others around them.