Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Competence in the Legal Profession

This program is presented by Will Meyerhofer, a retired corporate attorney who is now a psychotherapist in private practice and an author of books and articles about law and mental health. Will specializes in counseling attorneys struggling with career and life issues, including depression, anxiety, burnout and substance abuse, often as a result of their demanding professional lives.

The program will survey the rates of mental health and substance abuse among attorneys and the specific challenges of the legal profession, including recent developments, that may contribute to the high incidence of these issues. Attorneys will learn strategies to help combat and manage anxiety and depression, spot and address burnout, and comply with the ethical rules regarding mental issues, including handling a situation where a colleague's performance might be compromised by substance abuse.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the existing statistics around attorney mental health and substance abuse and consider their significance to the profession
2. Discuss best practices for managing a heavy legal workload, addressing toxic stress, and ensuring competent representation
3. Examine the reasons lawyers face high levels of stress, and how this situation may impact the future of the legal profession