Lawyer Addiction Blog

Information Supporting Recovery

Rhode Island’s LAP is the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee, which works in conjunction with Resource International Employee Assistance Services (RIEAS). Both are member benefits of the Rhode Island Bar Association.

The Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee offers peer assistance. According to the website, “Peer attorneys will lend an ear, share their experiences, and, if necessary, advise you on re-entering legal practice or accompany you to self-help meetings. Committee member attorneys have chosen this volunteer assignment because each has an understanding of impairments and a desire to help.”

RIEAS, in turn, offers consultations with professional mental heath counsellors who work with the attorney seeking assistance to develop a plan to resolve issues related to “balancing work and family, depression, anxiety, domestic violence, aging, grief, career satisfaction, alcohol and substance abuse, and problem gambling.” This can include referrals to skilled professionals and programs throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Assistance given through Lawyers Helping Lawyers and RIEAS is free and confidential. Contact information for both programs is available at the Rhode Island Bar Association website.

This week, we’re spotlighting South Carolina’s Lawyers Helping Lawyers (LHL) program. According to its mission statement, “Lawyers Helping Lawyers provides programs and services to assist members of the legal profession in South Carolina who suffer from problems of substance abuse or depression, which affect their professional and/or personal life. Members of the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee comprise a support network of recovering judges and lawyers who assist in carrying the recovery message.”

LHL has a confidential helpline and partners with LifeFocus Counseling Service to offer five hours of free intervention counseling. The LHL website includes information on addiction, depression, upcoming events and local treatment facilities.

LHL’s Director is J. Robert  Turnbull Jr. His contact details, along with those for other LHL members and LifeFocus Counseling, are available at the Lawyers Helping Lawyers website.

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc. (LCL) is Pennsylvania’s lawyer assistance program, and founded in 1988 by a group of recovering lawyers and judges.

LCL operates through a network of 200 volunteeers, who are “lawyers, judges and law students in recovery from addiction and mental health or emotional problems”. They provide discreet assistance in person or over the phone to lawyers or those trying to help a lawyer in need.

Some services LCL provides include:

• Lawyer recovery meetings (based on the 12-step model)
• Case management services
• Free books & pamphlets on addiction, emotional issues, overeating, parenting, relationships, and more.

On LCL’s website, visitors will find self-tests for alcohol & drugs,  problem gambling, stress & anxiety, and depression.

LCL’s confidential helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including holidays at 1-888-999-1941. LCL’s general administration line is 1-800-335-2572.

The Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (OAAP) is a service provided to all Oregon lawyers. Funded by the Professional Liability Fund, OAAP offers confidential support through referrals, counselling, workshops and other educational programs.

OAAP assists attorneys facing issues such as:

• alcoholism, drug addiciton, and compulsive disorders (including gambling addiction)
• depression and anxiety
• stress management

The program also offers help with time management and career transitions. All of OAAP’s programs are free or at a nominal cost.

A wide variety of resources are available on the OAAP website. In Sight, the program’s newsletter, includes articles, first-person stories, OAAP news, and other relavant content. The website’s Resources page offers links to support group websites and related information.  A list of OAAP’s upcoming workshops and seminars is also available.

OAAP’s Executive Director is Barbara S. Fishleder. Her contact details as well as those for OAAP’s attorney counselors are available at the OAAP website. The program’s general help lines are (503) 226-1057 or (800) 321-OAAP.

Started in 1985, the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Assistance Program (LHLAP) is a committee of the Oklahoma Bar Association. LHLAP aims to “assist members who are having difficulties that adversely affect their practice.” While the majority of the calls LHLAP receives are for assistance with drug and alcohol problems, the program also assists lawyers who are struggling with emotional and physical issues such as depression, divorce, senility, and illness.

LHLAP provides strictly confidential help to attorneys seeking assistance, or those seeking assistance on the attorney’s behalf, such as family members, friends, partners, or clients.  This is achieved through referrals and ongoing assistance and support. LHLAP’s toll-free assistance line is 1-800-364-7886.

The Oklahoma Bar Association also offers a Judges Helping Judges program.

Lawyers Weekly recently ran an article that readers of the Lawyer Addiction Blog will be interested in. “Lawyers Starting Over” (Christopher  Guly, Oct 16/09 issue) describes the intersection of depression with law society sanctions, and outlines the huge range of emotion and behaviour that lawyers face when they are suspended or disbarred, often as a result of addiction or mental health problems.

“[N]ot all lawyers can cope after being suspended or disbarred from practice.

“A lot of them get very angry and upset, and some of them descend into addiction — and sometimes never get out of it,” explained John Starzynski, who serves as the volunteer executive director of the Ontario Lawyers’ Assistance Program (OLAP).

Starzynski said the addictions cover the gamut, from alcohol and drugs (particularly cocaine) to occasionally sex and often gambling. The latest — and fastest growing addiction that Starzynski sees through OLAP — is to the Internet.”

The article also tells the personal stories of Starzynski (Ontario Lawyers’ Assistance Program), and Keith Anderson, a Nova Scotia lawyer who at one time faced debilitating depression.

An informative article – well worth the read.

We recently came across a new book that will be of interest to readers of the Lawyer Addiction Blog. Gary Gwilliam is a California trial attorney who wrote about his experiences with alcoholism in his 2007 memoir, Getting a Winning Verdict in My Personal Life: A Trial Lawyer Finds His Soul. To read excerpts from the book, visit awinningverdict.com.

Gwilliam was a successful trial lawyer in 1977, when he experienced a particularly devastating loss in court and turned to alcohol. The book, which was a USA Book News Best Book finalist, chronicles his recovery from alcoholism and his transformation into mentor, a leader, well-respected attorney and motivational speaker. Gwilliam credits lessons he learned from losing for his ultimate success in work and life. Among other honours, the Public Justice Foundation presented Gwilliam its Champion of Justice Award for 2009.

To learn more  about Gary Gwilliam, visit his firm bio or personal website and blog, and for more on Gary’s struggle with alcohol abuse, see this article from Plaintiff Magazine, Trials and Tribulations: A Profile of Oakland Trial Lawyer J. Gary Gwilliam.

This week, we’re focusing on OLAP, the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program. OLAP’s mission is to “provide confidential help to lawyers, judges and law students suffering from alcoholism, substance abuse or other addictions, or mental illness.”

The OLAP website includes lots of useful resources, including:

• Self-tests for drug & alcohol abuse and depression
• Extensive informati0n on signs and symptoms of chemical dependency
• Links to local treatment centers, as well as drug & alcohol addiction and mental health associations
• 20 Golden Rules for Lawyers

OLAP emphasizes that “alcoholism, substance abuse, addictive behavior, and psychological problems are treatable illnesses rather than moral issues” and that all communication with OLAP is confidential. Lawyers who need help, or who know a colleague who needs help, are encouraged to call OLAP’s 24/7 hotline at 1-800-348-4343.

Scott R. Mote, J.D., is OLAP’s Executive Director. Contact information for OLAP’s staff is available on the OLAP website.

The Nebraska Lawyers Assistance Program (NLAP) was created in 1995 by the Nebraska State Bar Association with a view to helping “lawyers, judges and law students troubled by substance abuse problems, stress, depression and other types of disorders which may impair their ability to perform in a competent and professional manner.”

NLAP’s main methods of assistance are:

• Assessment and referral
• Interventions
• A peer support network, comprised of  “judges and lawyers throughout the state of Nebraska who are themselves recovering from alcohol and other drug addiction, psychological problems, and impairment caused by other conditions.”
• Education, prevention, and awareness

The NLAP website includes statistics and details on impairment, as well as “Another Bar Exam”, a list of questions to determine whether one might have a problem with substance abuse.

Concerned lawyers, judges and law students are encouraged to call NLAP’s 24/7 toll-free hotline at 1-888- 584-6527.

This week’s featured lawyer assistance program is the North Dakota Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP), which was created in 2004. LAP is operated by a six-member Lawyer Assistance Committee, and its purpose is to “prevent and alleviate problems that adversely affect a lawyer’s performance.” Often these problems stem from mental health or substance abuse issues.

The LAP works on a referral basis, with referrals coming from:

• District Inquiry Committees
• Disciplinary Board
• North Dakota Supreme Court
• The State Board of Bar Examiners

A lawyer may also refer oneself. A referral form is available on the LAP website. LAP will work with the lawyer to develop an Individualized Assistance Plan, and track the lawyer’s progress and compliance.  Confidentiality is the hallmark of the program.

LAP may be reached at  (701) 255-1404.