Events, Videos and Podcasts
2018 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs
September 25-27, 2018
Francis Marion Hotel
Charleston, SC
UPCOMING EVENTS/WEBINARS
Law School Mental Health Day Moves to October 10
The ABA Law Student Division has officially moved Law School Mental Health Day to October 10.
In recognition of Law School Mental Health Day, the American University Washington College of Law will host a YouTube Live event featuring Laurie Besden, Pennsylvania Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Executive Director, who is in recovery with an incredible story to share.
The session, "To Hell and Back: One Lawyer’s Path to Recovery," will run live from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern and then be available for replay. The YouTube link is http://auw.cl/tohellandback.
Click here for more information about the presentation and other Mental Health Day resources.
Share Law School Mental Health Day activities with #LawStudentWellness.
VIDEOS
The Elephant in the Room: The Legal Profession, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse
Recording of live Stanford Law School program that took place on Feb. 8, 2018,
The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change (Oct. 16, 2017)
You will not receive continuing legal education (CLE) for viewing the free recording. Contact your state to see if it qualifies for accreditation.
Materials from the 2017 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs
"The Besden Redemption" Video
The ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law present, "The Besden Redemption."
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. It is a remarkable story of crippling addiction, and ultimately, redemption.
Click here for the full version as well as an abridged, 3-minute version.
Fierce & Gritty: Resilience Training for Lawyers (December, 2016)
You will not receive continuing legal education (CLE) for viewing the free recording. Contact your state to see if it qualifies for accreditation.
Charting a Sustainable Path Forward: What the ABA/Hazelden Betty Ford Study on Substance Use and Mental Health Means for the Future of the Profession (September, 2016)
Program made possible through the generous support of the Fellows of the Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section
I’ve Got Your Back; You’ve Got My Ear: Suicide Prevention in the Legal Profession (March, 2016)
You will not receive continuing legal education (CLE) for viewing the free recording. Contact your state to see if it qualifies for accreditation.
Keeping Legal Minds Intact: Mitigating Compassion Fatigue Among Legal Professionals (October, 2014)
The free recording does not qualify for continuing legal education (CLE). Contact your state to see if it qualifies for accreditation.
Program made possible through the generous support of the Fellows of the Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section
Colleagues Under the Influence: Licensure and the Impaired Lawyer (April, 2015)
- Available for purchase here
Colleagues Under the Influence: Licensure and the Impaired Lawyer (November, 2015)
- Available for purchase here
Grey Matters: Perspectives on Aging Lawyers and Cognitive Impairment (August, 2013)
- Recording no longer available
- Access webinar materials here
PODCASTS
Looking for something to listen to during your commute to work? Here are some podcast episodes and series worth checking out.
New "Path to Law Student Well-Being" Podcast Series
CoLAP and the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar have a produced a new podcast series in response to the call for action in the 2017 Report, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change.
Episode 1, Part 1: Part 1: Ways individual faculty members can notice, engage with, and support students they suspect are in distress.
Episode 1, Part 2: Steps faculty can take to promote student well-being through their teaching in the classroom and includes concrete actions for law school administrators.
Voices of Recovery Podcast Series
The ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs 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.
Episode 1: Laurie Besden, Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc.
Episode 2: James Heiting, Managing Partner of Heiting & Irwin, Past President of the State Bar of California
Episode 3: Michael Burke, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Problem Gamblers
Episode 4: Andrew McKenna, Northeast Market Director for Addiction Campuses
Episode 5: Francine Ward, Business and Intellectual Property Law Attorney, Member of the CoLAP Advisory Committee
Episode 6: Courtney Wylie, Former Lawyer, Certified Leadership Coach and Member of CoLAP
Episode 7: Stephanie Mitchell Hughes, attorney, writer and speaker
Episode 8: Jeff Zapor, Case Monitor for the Michigan Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, former attorney in private practice
In a pickle? Here’s how a lawyers assistance program can help.
In this ABA Journal Asked & Answered podcast episode, Bree Buchanan, Director of the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program and Chair of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, talks about about how lawyers assistance programs work.
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Voices of Recovery and Stories of Recovery Podcast Series
A podcast where Texas attorneys discuss how they reclaimed their lives from substance abuse and mental health issues. We bring you these podcasts—and these lawyers are coming forward with their stories—to let members of the State Bar of Texas know that help is available and recovery is possible.
The State Bar of Michigan’s “On Balance” Podcast Series
Hosted by JoAnn Hathaway of the bar’s Practice Management Resource Center and Tish Vincent of its Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, the series focuses on the need for interplay between practice management and lawyer-wellness for a thriving law practice.
Attorney Mental Health and Wellness, from The Florida Bar Podcast
Larry Krieger expands on why attorneys often struggle with depression and the wellbeing factors that may lead to satisfaction in a legal career.
ABA Midyear 2018: The ABA’s Opioid Summit, from the Legal Talk Network On the Road Podcast
Jack Young talks about why the ABA’s Opioid Summit is important and how it will help lawyers deal with the crisis both professionally and personally.
Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession, from the Legal Talk Network On the Road Podcast
Jeff Kuester talks about functional alcoholism and why it’s important for lawyers to monitor their alcohol consumption.
Twitter Chat Recaps
Law School Mental Health Day
On National Mental Health Day for Law Schools (March 28, 2018), the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) and Law Student Division hosted a live Twitter Chat aimed at encouraging students to seek help when they need it by addressing questions around stigma, bar application character and fitness, and anything else on the minds of students and those who care about them. The special guests participating were: Mistie Bauscher, Former Conditional Admittee, Brian Cuban, author of The Addicted Lawyer and Amanda Lee, Harvard Law School Student Government President. They also encouraged law schools and students to share what they were doing for Mental Health Day by using the hashtag #LawStudentWellness.
Click here for a recap of the entire Law Student Wellness Twitter Chat.
Click here for a recap of all #LawStudentWellness tweets.
Problem Gambling Twitter Chat
On Dec 13, 2017, CoLAP hosted a live Twitter Chat on “Problem Gambling in the Legal Profession.” The guests were Christine Anderson, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, Joan Bibelhausen, Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers and Keith Whyte, National Council on Problem Gambling, who discussed the consequences of problem gambling in the legal profession, signs and symptoms that might indicate a person may have a gambling problem, how to get help or refer someone else to help, and ways law schools and law firms can better address problem gambling.
Click here for a full recap of the conversation.
Suicide Prevention Twitter Chat
On June 27, 2017 CoLAP (@ABACoLAP) hosted a live Twitter Chat on “Suicide Prevention and Postvention in the Legal Profession.” Throughout the chat, guests Kate Bender, Programming Director of the Dave Nee Foundation (@NeeFoundation) and Yvette Hourigan, Executive Director of the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program (@KYLAPtweets), discussed the disproportionately high rate of suicides in the legal profession, symptoms or behaviors that might indicate a person may be considering attempting suicide, how to get help or refer someone else to help, and ways law schools and law firms can better address suicide.
Click here for a recap of the conversation, which contains links to resources and important information about suicide in the legal profession.
