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    Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs

    We're Better Together: Lawyers Helping Judges, Lawyers, and Law Students

    About Us

    The ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) mission is devoted to the advancement of well-being in the legal profession and to assure that every judge, lawyer and law student has access to support and assistance when confronting alcoholism, substance use disorders or mental health issues so that lawyers are able to recover, families are preserved and clients and other members of the public are protected. This mission is carried out by supporting the work of state and local Lawyer Assistance Programs (LAPs) as they provide hands-on services and support to those in need of their assistance. Our website has hundreds of resources on well-being in the legal profession. Please see the tabs at the top of the page for the LAP Directory, Resources (for lawyers, judges, students, etc.), The Well-Being Pledge, News, and Events.”

    Collaborate with CoLAP

    Learn more about the ways we can work together to advance well-being in the profession.

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    Donate to CoLAP

    Your generous donation supports programs that promote lawyer well-being and access to resources and assistance.

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    October 10 - Law Student Mental Health Day

    The Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs collaborates with the ABA Law Student Division to offer programs and provide resources for law students on Law Student Mental Health Day scheduled annually on October 10, to coincide with World Mental Health Day. On this day law schools are encouraged to sponsor educational programs and events that teach and foster breaking the stigma associated with severe depression and anxiety among law students and lawyers.

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    Registration Opens Soon!

    2025 ABA National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs

    The ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs is excited to announce the 2025 ABA National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs will be held on September 16-19, 2025 in Virginia Beach, VA.

    ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Program's Statement on Racial Inequity

    The purpose of the legal profession is to ensure harmonious interaction between society (any organization) and individuals.” That requires the Rule of Law, equal justice, and equal protection, at a minimum. Indeed, there can be no other profession for which the words “equal justice,” “racial equality,” and “equal protection” should be more precious than in the practice of law. Those ideals are the heartbeat of the American judiciary. And yet, the injustices surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and Breonna Taylor, and others, serve to magnify the truth –

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    Anti-Stigma Campaign

    Profession-Wide Anti-Stigma Campaign

    CoLAP is committed to helping de-stigmatize mental health and substance use disorders in the legal profession. CoLAP is producing high-quality videos that highlight personal recovery stories of lawyers, judges, and law students who have overcome these issues, serving to raise awareness about the nature of addiction and mental health distress in our profession, and challenging the biases and stigma that surround those problems.

    ABA Journal article about the Campaign

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