Justine Fanarof was born in South Africa and is a proud immigrant to the United States. Her approach to legal and other matters is unique in that she incorporates her broad depth of understanding of holistic health and what works best in business. She is also completely bilingual in English and Spanish with additional proficiency in Italian, Hebrew, and American Sign Language, allowing her to communicate with and help a larger and more diverse client base.
Justine is a Lawyer
Justine believes the practice of law is ultimately about relationships, and while people are at the core of all we do as attorneys, legal representation may not always feel like a positive relationship. In legal and business matters it’s important to have a partner who can keep a cool head and an open mind. For her clients, Justine works within the framework of the law while creatively finding alternate ways of achieving a resolution between parties. That is precisely why Justine has chosen to practice law: because she helps people find new ways of working together.
Justine helps individuals and companies with outsourced general counsel activities, mindfulness and diversity training, alternative dispute resolution, nonprofit advocacy, business transactions, government relations, and other business consulting services.
Justine is Mindful
A teacher of yoga and mindfulness since 2004 and a practicing lawyer with a Masters in Public Health, Justine is bi-lingual, dynamic, creative, and thoughtful. Justine’s experiences as a law student and lawyer have brought her deep awareness of the tragic reality of the prevalence of drug abuse, depression, and suicide in the legal profession, in the corporate world, and in society at-large. Aligned with the mission and vision of the American Bar Association’s Wellness Pledge, Justine partners with her clients to reduce stress and improve well-being in the legal field through corporate wellness programs, including her signature, research-based yoga and meditation program Mindful Law Firm™. Throughout her legal career, Justine has trained and mentored hundreds of lawyers, paralegals, social workers, teachers, and law enforcement officials on complex issues and she is a relational and experienced speaker and trainer.
Justine helps law firms, government entities, corporations, law schools, and non-profits keep employees and law students happy, healthy, and productive with her wellness consulting services for law firms, law schools, and businesses of all sizes. As part of this process, she assesses corporate culture, identifies areas for improvement, and creates programs to understand and support culture change.
Justine is Involved
One of Justine’s core values is community service. As such, she serves on the Board of Directors of two incredible non-profit organizations, Houston Coalition Against Hate and Mind Oasis.
A civil rights advocate, Justine spent three years working for immigrant children with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) where she trained and mentored attorneys at all levels of practice, and currently maintains a pro bono immigration practice via KIND’s pro bono mentoring program. Additionally, she served as the Jean & Jerry Moore Southwest Civil Rights Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), supervising ADL’s civil rights agenda for Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and writing amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court. Justine is an expert on hate crimes and humanitarian forms of immigration relief and has trained thousands of law enforcement officers, lawyers, teachers, and social workers in both areas.
In addition to her legal involvement, Justine volunteers as a yoga and meditation teacher for diverse communities, including Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers, veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, staff at San Jose Clinic, and children at the Houston Area Women’s Center.
