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Resources for Law Students and Law Schools

Featured Resources

To law students preparing for the bar exam...

...here is some advice and words of encouragement from lawyer assistance programs.

The lawyer assistance programs (LAPs) have pulled together some tips, words of encouragement and resources for you during this stressful time.


LAPs provide confidential services and support to law students, lawyers and judges who are facing substance use or mental health issues.


If you or someone you know needs assistance, contact your state or local LAP.

 

Law Student Listserv


CoLAP maintains a confidential listserv for recovering law students. If you are interested in joining this group, contact Niki Irish at [email protected]

 

New Voices of Recovery Podcast Series

CoLAP has produced a new podcast series about overcoming substance use disorders, mental health issues and addiction. The lawyers featured in this series have all agreed to tell their story in the hope that it will reduce the stigma surrounding these issues and encourage others to get the help they need.

"The Besden Redemption" Video

The CoLAP Law School Assistance Committee set out to create a video that law students can relate to. That will encourage those who are reluctant to seek help for substance use disorders or mental health issues to take the first step. That will make those who think, "It can't happen to me," realize that it can happen to anybody.

Laurie Besden is an attorney and the Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania. Laurie had a privileged upbringing. She graduated college with a 3.97 GPA, and was in the top 15% of her law school class. On paper, Laurie is the definition of success. Laurie is also a drug addict... In "The Besden Redemption," Laurie candidly shares her story of crippling addiction, and ultimately, redemption. 

Presented by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. 

Click here for the full version as well as an abridged, 3-minute version.

New Path to Law Student Well-being Podcast Series

"The Path to Law Student Well-Being" is a new podcast series sponsored by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The series is a response to the call for action in the 2017 Report, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Changefrom the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, which sets out action items for the legal community, including specific steps law schools can take, to shift the culture of the legal profession towards one that is focused on well-being.  

The inaugural 2-part episode features two short conversations with Dean and Professor of Law Michael Hunter Schwartz of the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and Professor Larry Krieger of the Florida State University College of Law and is moderated by Professor Susan Wawrose of the University of Dayton School of Law.

Dean Schwartz is a recognized expert and the author of numerous books and articles on the subject of law student teaching and learning, including his book, What the Best Law Teachers Do. He has also been ranked for the past three years in a row by National Jurist magazine as one of the most influential legal educators.

Professor Krieger is well-known for his groundbreaking work on law student well-being, including how values and motivation affect law student and lawyer satisfaction and the role law schools play in shaping law student values and in humanizing the profession. He has also has done significant research measuring the psychological changes of law students during law school. 

  • Part 1: Listen | Download
    Ways individual faculty members can notice, engage with, and support students they suspect are in distress.
  • Part 2: Listen | Download
    Steps faculty can take to promote student well-being through their teaching in the classroom and includes concrete actions for law school administrators. 

Research and Reports

Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance of Law Students to Seek Help for Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns, by: Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D.

In the spring of 2014, fifteen law schools around the country participated in the Survey of Law Student Well-Being (SLSWB). A comprehensive report of the findings is now available in the Autumn 2016 issue of the Journal of Legal Education.

The study was administered with a grant from the ABA Enterprise Fund, sponsored by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, Law Student Division, Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Young Lawyers Division and Commission on Disability Rights, as well as with support from the Dave Nee Foundation.  

Helping Law Students Get the Help They Need: An Analysis of Data Regarding Law Students’ Reluctance to Seek Help and Policy Recommendations for a Variety of Stakeholders, by: Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D.

This Bar Examiner article, released prior to the full report above, previews results from the Survey of Law Student Well-Being. 

Articles

Research and Reports

Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance of Law Students to Seek Help for Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns, by: Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D.

In the spring of 2014, fifteen law schools around the country participated in the Survey of Law Student Well-Being (SLSWB). A comprehensive report of the findings is now available in the Autumn 2016 issue of the Journal of Legal Education.

The study was administered with a grant from the ABA Enterprise Fund, sponsored by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, Law Student Division, Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, Young Lawyers Division and Commission on Disability Rights, as well as with support from the Dave Nee Foundation.  

Helping Law Students Get the Help They Need: An Analysis of Data Regarding Law Students’ Reluctance to Seek Help and Policy Recommendations for a Variety of Stakeholders, by: Jerome M. Organ, David B. Jaffe, and Katherine M. Bender, Ph.D.

This Bar Examiner article, released prior to the full report above, previews results from the Survey of Law Student Well-Being. 

Other Resources

  • Podcast: Law School and Depression (ABA Law Student Division)
  • Orientation Handout (St. Thomas School of Law and Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers)
  • Are You Fit To Be a Lawyer Brochure (Law Student Working Group of the Minnesota State Bar Association Life & Law Committee)
  • Law School Peer Support Network Training Manual (Jessica Stahl, Ph.D., University of Minnesota)
  • READY RESOURCES: Ready Resources for Bumps in the Road (ABA GPSOLO May/June 2015)
  • Getting Healthy, Staying Healthy – Law Student Video: American University Washington College of Law produced a video that encourages law students to face substance abuse issues. To learn more, click here, or contact David Jaffe, Associate Dean.

Websites