Lawyer Addiction Blog

Information Supporting Recovery

The Lawyers Helping Lawyers (LHL) program of the South Carolina Bar has provided a number of helpful and informative links relating to addiction, recovery, stress, treatment programs, assistance organizations, and the like. Here is a sampling of the links included in LHL’s list:

WisLAP is Wisconsin’s lawyer assistance program, and helps “lawyers, judges, law students, and their families cope with problems related to the stress of practicing law.”

Run through a network of 150 trained volunteer lawyers and judges, WisLAP offers services such as peer counseling, interventions, CLE education sessions, referrals and consultations. The WisLAP website includes various articles on addiction, depression, women’s issues, prescription medication abuse, retirement, etc.

WisLAP offers 24/7 confidential support through their helpline at 1-800-543-2625. Callers are not required to identify themselves.

Contact information for committee members is available at the WisLAP website.

The Washington State Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) is our focus for this  roundup. LAP helps Washington state lawyers, judges and third-year law students with direct, confidential mental health and addictions counseling, by licensed psychologists Dr. Dan Crystal and Barbara Harper.

LAP also offers education and referrals, and has a large peer counselor network to help lawyers who need support, particularly in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, job-related and diversity issues. The LAP website includes resources on aging & retirement, addiction, depression, eating disorders, and stress. LAP also has a lending library of books that WSBA members may borrow.

LAP is also offering job seeking support through weekly and monthly group meetings

LAP’s toll-free number is 1- 800-945-WSBA. Contact details for LAP Coordinator Peggy Harkrader are available at the LAP website.

Virginia’s lawyer assistance program is Lawyers Helping Lawyers. Established in 1985,the program provides confidential and non-disciplinary assistance for members of the Virginia bar dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues.

Attorneys, judges, family members or friends can make a referral by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-877-545-4682. From there, “the Executive Director and a statewide network of volunteers respond to referrals and develop an action plan that best fits each unique situation. They work to verify the problem and assist the person into whatever support and treatment is needed.”

Lawyers Helping Lawyers’ Executive Director is James E. Leffler. Contact details for the director, liaisons, and board members is available at the Lawyers Helping Lawyers website.

Today’s post was authored by Hal Nevitt, Director of the State Bar of Arizona Member Assistance Program. We welcome his submission as well as those from other lawyer assistance programs.

Life in today’s world can be tumultuous, particularly with the recent change in the economic structure of our lives. Even in the best of times we all experience fluctuations in our moods.  Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s losses, stressors, and struggles.

Depression, a condition that is different than sadness can manifest itself in our lives in many different ways. It can disrupt sleep and appetite. There may be an inability to focus or concentrate on material that is vital to a person’s occupation or personal life. There may be feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness that pervade one’s entire existence.

With the intensity of these emotional states there is little wonder that people describe themselves as apathetic, devoid of happiness, satisfaction or even the perceived ability to change. Life is not only empty, it is experienced as living in “black hole” where activities and relationships that were once and satisfying are now boring and lifeless.

Lawyers are at increased risk for depression. Recent studies indicate that lawyers suffer depression at a rate twice that of other occupations. If you or someone you know is experiencing depression please reach out, get help.

The Member Assistance Program of the State Bar of Arizona can help. For confidential response and referral please call Hal Nevitt at 602-340-7334 or 602-885-4533.

The State Bar of Arizona Member Assistance Program website includes several resources on depression: info on signs, symptoms, and how to mitigate/treat depression, a depression & mania self-test, and an article on dealing with depression.

Vermont’s lawyer assistance program is Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL). Since 1987, LCL has helped Vermont lawyers deal with issues ranging from depression, anxiety, and stress to alcohol, drug, and gambling addiction. LCL also offers support for marital and family problems. One newer service is support for lawyers searching for a new line of work.

LCL’s hotline is 1-800-525-0210; calls will be confidential.

Utah’s lawyer assistance program is Lawyers Helping Lawyers (LHL). LHL delivers its services though volunteer peer mentoring, support groups, and continuing legal education. (Two innovative programs are Yoga for Lawyers and The Other Bar,  “a network of recovering lawyers and judges who are dedicated to assisting others within the profession who are suffering from alcohol and substance abuse problems”). Free counseling is available to Utah state bar members via Blomquist Hale Consulting. These services are paid for through bar dues.

LHL’s website offers specific guidance on stress, depression,and addiction. LHL is also active on Twitter and Facebook.

The chair of LHL’s Board of Trustees is S. Brook Millard; Marianne McGregor Guelker is the Administrative Assistant. Contact details are available at the LHL website. To reach LHL toll-free, call 1-800-530-3743.

This week, we’re focussing on the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP), a service of the State Bar of Texas. TLAP “has evolved from helping lawyers with substance abuse disorders and alcoholism to assisting lawyers, judges and law students with mental health issues.”

The TLAP website offers a host of resources related to addictions and mental health, including: online self-assessments for issues such as depression, substance abuse, stress, and suicide; details on practice support and financial assistance; and a lengthy list of first person stories.

Information specifically for students, law firms, and judges is also available.

TLAP’s Director is Ann D. Foster. Contact details are available at the TLAP website. TLAP’s toll free number is 1-800-343-8527.

This week’s featured LAP is the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). TLAP helps lawyers, law students, and judges with issues such as stress and burnout, anxiety, depression and mood disorders, anger management, work-life balance, substance abuse,  process addictions (such as food, sex, gambling), and grief and loss. TLAP also assists lawyers who are processing cases with disturbing material.

TLAP provides assistance through many channels, including a toll-free help line (1-877-424-8527), support groups, referrals, interventions, and education. All calls to TLAP are confidential and free.

The organization’s website includes an overview of TLAP’s history, resources including a twice-yearly newsletter, and links to other helpful organizations.

TLAP’s Executive Director is Laura Gatrell; its Commission Chairperson is Teresa Jones. Contact information for executive and commission members is available at the www.tlap.org.

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.