Highlights Newsletter Archive
ABA CoLAP
Summer 1996 Issue
Table of Contents
- Around the LAPs
- Awards and Congratulations
- News from Bar Leader
- Calendar
- New Commission Members
- Commission Report
- Directory Changes
- National Workship on Lawyer Assistance Programs
Around the Laps
IDAHO
The Idaho State Bar Association invited Don Muccigrosso to address bar leaders on the development of a lawyer assistance program as they progress in their investigation of future program suitable for Idaho lawyers.
INDIANA
According to The Indiana Lawyer, the Indiana State Bar
Association Lawyers' Assistance Committee wants to revamp the
way the peer-helper group services lawyers who have
substance-abuse and mental health problems. Committee Chair
Marge Bannon-Miller indicates that the committee will soon ask the
state bar to fund, from its main budget, a part-time director and
assistant to tackle the growing frequency and complexity of calls
committee members now handle. The director would receive the
calls including gambling addiction, senility and depression problems
and then assign a volunteer lawyer to work with the colleague in
need of assistance.
Until recently, lawyers faced with a substance abuse problem and a crumbling practice called the committee members directly. But members felt overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of calls. Fairbanks Hospital in Indianapolis had donated the use of its Employee Assistance Program staff to handle the hot line calls. Even though the facility is located in Indianapolis, it maintains a statewide network of counselors, psychologists and doctors who are specialists in a variety of disorders. This EAP hotline can be reached by dialing (800) 446-0305. When funding is provided for the LAP, information on the director position will be listed in Highlights.
MASSACHUSETTS
Close to 250 women registered, and almost all of them braved a March snowstorm to attend a symposium called "Having It All: Balancing Work & Family" sponsored by Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, the Massachusetts lawyers assistance program. Bonnie Waters, executive director of LCL, said, "By the turnout, it was obvious that women will go to any lengths and overcome any obstacles to discuss the work/family issue." The symposium was chaired by Anne C. Weisberg, a Harvard-educated lawyer and author of Everything a Working Mother Needs to Know, and included three panelists. Anne set the framework for the discussion by reviewing the most effective work/family programs and the business reasons for adopting these programs in law firms. The panelists then described their own experiences, as well as their observations of the obstacles facing women lawyers who are trying to balance work and family. LCL sees the symposium as a first step in its effort to reach out to women lawyers, a group that has historically underutilized lawyer assistance programs. LCL is planning follow-up workshops for women lawyers on work/family balance that will provide concrete information and problem-solving techniques using an interactive format. LCL, an organization that for the last 18 years has helped substance-abusing lawyers overcome their addiction, has widened its services to include assistance for additional health and personal problems. LCL also is offering a special helpline for judges.
MICHIGAN
The Lawyers and Judges Assistance Committee of
the State Bar of Michigan has introduced Turning Point, a quarterly
newsletter designed to educate and provide information about the
disease of alcoholism and other addictions, and resources that are
available to combat problems associated with those addictions.
Besides articles designed to inform and educate, Turning Point
features personal stories of those who have wrestled with
alcoholism and other addictions, program announcements and ways
to seek help through the State Bar's Lawyers and Judges Assistance
Program.
MONTANA
The Montana State Bar Board of Trustees plans to
ask members for a dues increase to hire a full-time discipline
counsel to assist the Commission on Practice and to fund a variety
of new services. The expected addition of $235,000 would allow
the bar to hire discipline counsel and support staff to provide office
management help for small firms along with a diversion program for
lawyers with alcohol or drug addictions.
PENNSYLVANIA
In June, Bill Kane, Director of the New Jersey
LAP, addressed a group of lawyers and judges at the annual
Allegheny County Bench-Bar Conference at Seven Springs Resort
in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Bill's talk covered the prevalence of
alcohol and drug problems within the legal profession, the
progression of the disease, how to identify people with problems
and appropriate ways for colleagues to approach someone who
needs help. He also stressed the value of recovering lawyers
assisting other lawyers in their recovery program. Ken Hagreen,
who is still working with the Pennsylvania LAP until his
replacement is hired, distributed copies of Bill Kane's "Quo Vadis
LAP?" audiotape to all the attendees.
Pennsylvania has launched its Judicial Intervention Training Program at the county level. This is a 1 1/2 hour role-playing workshop that has been held twice in Butler county, with a third session scheduled for the end of June. The presenters introduced the Presiding Judge of the County, two other sitting judges, the district attorney, assistant district attorney, public defender, bar president and other bar leaders to the LCL Helpline and Program. This program will be instrumental in building support at the grassroots level for LCL.
WASHINGTON
According to the May 1996 Board report,
Washington's LAP program provided assistance to 2,362 lawyers in
mental health (depression, stress, etc.) Substance abuse, and
job-support areas.
In November 1996, the WSBA will move its offices to the Fourth
and Blanchard Building. LAP, with its own entrance, will be
located near, but not in, the Bar offices.
At the suggestion of one of its peer counselors, the Washington LAP added a new group for women in practice for 15 or more years. This discussion group for women is meeting monthly in the LAP offices. The focus is the future course of their careers in or out of the legal profession. LAP also invited women lawyers to participate in a weekly book discussion group with peers and Jean Johnson, LAP clinician. Book selections examine: specific challenges in one's personal and professional life, life enhancement, and other topics to be chosen by the group.
SIDEBAR is a career service newsletter published quarterly by the Washington State Bar Association LAP's Career Advisory Committee. In a recent issue, there was an article on the Weekly Job Hunters' Support Group. It listed the dates of meetings through August and the topics to be covered including: New Rules for Job Hunting in the New Marketplace, How to Set Up a Practice from a Risk Management Loss Control Perspective, Starting As a Contract Lawyer; Job Transition and Stress Management; and many other useful discussion subjects.
WISCONSIN
After nearly a year of negotiations and several years
of informal discussions, the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of
Wisconsin program will merge into the State Bar of Wisconsin's
new lawyer assistance program on July 1. LCL has received its
primary funding from the State Bar for many years and reported its
activities to the State Bar but remained an independent organization
for 15 years.
Under the plan unanimously adopted by LCL's officers and the State Bar's Board of Governors, the LCL program will be overseen by the LAP committee (WisLAP) and administered by a LCL program director. Administration will be managed by the State Bar staff. Lea Landmann will continue as program director. The new program will be fully-funded by the State Bar. The new LAP committee appointed by the State Bar President included all of the current LCL officers as well as many long-time friends and supporters. The incoming bar president reappointed the entire committee, adding one member.
The Committee on Assistance for Lawyers of the State Bar, which responds to calls for help on mental health problems, stress, depression and burnout, will also be folded into WisLAP. Dennis Kozich, Ph.D., will continue as program director. In a show of support, State Bar Executive Director Stephen Smay; WisLAP Chair James Collis; and Chairman of the Board of Governors John Macy and several bar staff members attended LCL's "recovery banquet," May 17. In formal remarks at that meeting, State Bar President-elect Steven Sorenson welcomed LCL to the State Bar family and pledged his unequivocal backing during the three years of his tenure.
Awards and Congratulations
CALIFORNIA
R. Lee Anderson is the newest Consultant to California's The Other Bar. Lee can be reached at 30872 S. Coast Highway. #157, South Laguna, CA 92677 (714/444-0842)(FAX: 714/4948957). Lee joined the California program in January and is responsible for the coastal area of Southern California, from Orange County northward through ventura County. Lee joins three other part time consultants, Dr. Sondra Brascia-Wilf, David Demergian, and Larry Greer, and one full time coordinator, Richard Kirkeby. He brings to the Other Bar several years experience in Washington, D.C. volunteer program of lawyers helping lawyers. Lee's latest project is setting up a website for the Other Bar to help make information about the Other Bar and its services more widely available.
NEBRASKA
The Nebraska State Bar Association has hired its first director of the Nebraska
Lawyer Assistance Program. Frederick (Rick) B. Allan, Jr. practiced law for 30 years and was a
long time member of Nebraska's Alcohol & Drug Abuse Committee before assuming this position
on a 3/4 time basis. He will be operating a confidential toll-free hotline takin calls from concerned
colleagues, family members, friends, etc. Rick can be reached at Nebraska Lap, P.O. Box 81809,
Lincoln, NE 68501-1809. (1/888-584-6527 or 402/475-7091 Ext. 46)
WASHINGTON
Ruth Herman Dunn, Ph.D is LAP's new therapist. Ruth received her Masters
in Counseling from Ohio State University and her Ph.D. form the University of Florida. She has a
strong background in mental health and substance abuse counseling. Ruth joins Barbara Harper,
MA. Psych., who is the Director of the WSBA LAP, and Jean Johnson M.S.W., a part-time
counselor.
News from Bar Leader
The cover story in the May issue of Bar Leader magazine highlights the important subject of women and substance abuse. The debilitating impact of substance abuse is often harsher and more acute for women, and this unfortunate fact is focused on in two articles. Another article draws a link between substance abuse and domestic violence. The last article offers a candid, poignant and inspiring account of an addicted lawyer's journey from alcoholism to sobriety, recovery and the bench. To order a copy of this special issue of Bar Leader ($5.00 ea.), contact Editor Faye A. Silas, at 312/988-6008. Bar Leader is a bimonthly news magazine published by the ABA that covers issues of interest to state, local and specialty bar associations. (Subscription Fee: $29.99.)
Calendar
Mark Your Calendar! The International Lawyers in AA Annual Meeting will be held October 4 - 6 (immediately following the ABA National Workshop for Lawyer Assistance Programs, which will take place September 30 - October 3) at the Sheraton in Bal Harbour, Florida. Contact Arthur H. Rice at 305/379-3121 for more information.
July 26
Tenth Annual Workshop sponsored by Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Orlando, Florida. 8 hours CLE credit awarded (1 hour ethics credit). Advance registration fee $80.00 ($100 at the door). Speakers include: Dr. David Prewett on research demonstrating the effect of substance abuse on the cognitive function and the impact on the lawyer's ability to practice, and Paul R. Ashe, Esquire on compulsive gambling. Contact: FLA (954-566-9040).
August 23-25
1st Annual Arizona Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Conference. Cottonwoods Resort ($82 per night). 5.57 hours CLE approved. $95 registration fee. Speaker: Adrian Hill. Contact: David Horowitz (602/340-7334).
September 6-8
First Annual Missouri Lawyers' Assistance conference, Marriott's TAN-TAR-A, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Speakers include Michael Crowley. The conference will include intervention training and recovery related modules on depression, sexuality, women's issues, gambling and aging. Contact: Jim Howard (1-800/688-7859).
Sept. 30-Oct. 3
National Workshop for Lawyer Assistance Programs, Sheraton Bal Harbour, Florida. Contact: Gerri Sandner (312-988-5312) .
October 4-6
International Lawyers in AA Annual Meeting, Sheraton, Bal Harbour, Florida. Contact: Arthur H. Rice (305-379-3121).
October 17-19
Conference of Center Committees, Park Hyatt, Chicago, IL. Contact: Gerri Sandner (312-988-5312).
October 18
2nd Annual Virginia Lawyers Helping Lawyers Meeting, Richmond, Virginia. Contact: Susan Pauley (804-644-0041).
October 26-28
Legal Profession Assistance conference National Workshop. Workshops and presentations include intervention techniques, confidentiality, managing your LAP, the link between loss prevention and LAP's, depression and more. Contact: David Arbuckle (416/520-9016).
November 1-3
13th Annual Communications Workshop, Kah-Nee-Ta Resort, Oregon Attorney Assistance Program. Contact: Linda D'Agostino (503-684-7424).
November 9
Midwest Regional LAP Directors Meeting (Tentative).
November10-13
National EAP Conference (Details to Follow).
New Commission Members
N. Lee Cooper, President-elect of the ABA, has just completed his appointments to the Commission on Impaired Attorneys for the 1995-96 Association Year. Mr. Cooper will assume his position as president of the ABA, following the ABA Annual Meeting this August in Orlando. His appointments to the Commission are for one year and will begin at the conclusion of the meeting as well.
We are delighted to have Michael J. Crowley of Austin, Texas as Chair of the Commission for his second year. During his first year as chair, Michael was instrumental in: the expansion of the Commission to ten members, dividing the members' responsibilities into regions, creating an award for executive directors for bar associations, and reviewing several state programs. He created several committees for which he assigned responsibility to members of the Commission in an effort to get the members more actively involved and complete more projects utilizing member expertise.
Leaving the Commission are Richard William Austin and James B. Cushman, who have completed their terms and will be greatly missed. They will continue to support our efforts and be available as resources.
Seven members will be returning to the Commission for another year. They are: Edwin (Ed) L. Blewer of Shreveport, Louisiana; John C. Brownrigg of Omaha, Nebraska; John Rogers Carroll of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Briggs Cheney of Albuquerque, NM; Hon. Sarah (Sallie) L. Krauss of Brooklyn, New York; Martha (Marty) A. Roof of Santa Ana, California; and Bonnie Waters of Boston, Massachusetts. We welcome their continued participation. Robert P. Cummins will serve the Midwest Region and Michael Distelhorst will serve the Central Region as our two newest members to the Commission.
Bob Cummins served as a member of the Review Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court for seven years. He has been active in committee work within the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, having served on several of its committees, and was instrumental in the creation of the Commission on Impaired Attorneys in 1988. He was one of the founding members of the Lawyers Assistance Program, Inc. of Illinois in 1980.
Mike Distelhorst is Professor of Law at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where he is also Co-Director of the Ethics Institute at the Law and Graduate Center and the Center for the Advancement and Study of Ethics at the main university. He was a member of the AALS Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and participated in the development of the Committee's survey on addictions and abuse in the law schools. Mike has been active in the Ohio State Bar's Lawyer Assistance Program and spoken on several occasions on addictions in the law schools at the Commission's National Workshop for Lawyer Assistance Programs. Mike is our first academic member.
This year the Commission will also add a liaison from the National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC). NOBC has appointed Christine Anderson to serve as a liaison between the two entities. Christine has been active in the development of the systems at the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court on how to handle addiction related discipline cases. She serves as their Chief Probation Counsel. She has taken course work on addictions and family related problems at Rush Behavioral Health Center. Christine has also attended programs presented by the ABA Commission on Impaired Attorneys and the Lawyers Assistance Program, Inc. of Illinois. We welcome her participation.
Commission Report
Commission Continuance and Name Change - The ABA Committee on Scope and Correlation of Work agreed that the Commission is very active and that its activities are not overlapping or unnecessarily duplicative of those of other ABA entities. Therefore, Scope agreed to recommend the continuance of the Commission. The Board of Governors authorized the Commission name change to the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP), effective September 1, 1996, to better describe the focus of its services and to alleviate concerns over the stigma sometimes attached to its current designation.
Expanded Mission Statement - The Commission's mission is to educate the legal profession concerning alcoholism and other forms of chemical dependency and to assist and support all bar associations and lawyer assistance programs in developing and maintaining methods of providing effective solutions for recovery. The Commission is currently in the process of revising its Mission Statement to incorporate education and support in the areas of stress, depression, other mental health problems and other impairments being addressed by a number of the LAPs.
Budget - The ABA Board of Governors met in June and made dramatic budget cuts to several of ABA entities, including the Commission. Our $30,000 annual funding has been reduced by more than $12,000. For that reason it has become necessary to make Highlights available on a subscription basis. A subscription order form is enclosed with this issue.
1996 Survey of Lawyer Assistance Programs - The last Survey of Lawyer Assistance Programs was published in 1991. A questionnaire has now been circulated to LAPs and bar association alcohol and drug committees to collect data for updating this product. It will contain information on types of services provided, organizational structure, funding sources and budget, staffing, relationship with disciplinary agency and bar associations and statistical information on number of calls received as well as lawyers served by type of impairment. If you have not returned your questionnaire, please do so by the deadline date of July 15, 1996. If you never received a copy, please contact Gerri Sandner (312/988-5312) immediately. This publication is scheduled for completion by September 1996.
National Workshop for Lawyer Assistance Programs - Our annual international workshop for lawyer assistance programs is a dynamic confluence of energy and programs designed to keep each state aware of the latest issues and answers affecting every state's bar membership. We view this as our opportunity to assist in the exchange of information and ideas among the various state-based LAPs and committees. The 1996 National Workshop will not only focus on addiction issues, but will also bring in experts on mental health problems such as depression, attention deficit disorder, and disruptive personality disorder. This year, for the first time, the Workshop will include a special program for bar leaders and members of the judiciary. It will provide information on the actual operation of lawyer assistance programs; how to better utilize the resources offered by LAPs in light of recent regulatory decisions; issues raised by managed care and adequate and appropriate treatment; wellness programs; return to work after treatment issues; confidentiality; monitoring; and drug testing. This workshop, scheduled for September 30 - October 3, 1996 in Bal Harbour, Florida, immediately precedes the Annual Meeting of International Lawyers in Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Commission's aim is to undertake activities that will benefit state and local bar association LAP's. That has been the history of the Commission and by any measure it has already been a huge success. I am truly sorry that we are no long able to distribute our quarterly newsletter, Highlights, at no cost to the 500+ readers on our mailing list. However, budget constraints affecting the ABA in turn affect the Commission on Impaired Attorneys, and we need to do our share by cutting our costs, but hopefully not services. Please support us if you can by attending the National Workshop, which will include a year's subscription at no additional charge, or by subscribing at the $60 fee. See page 8 for additional information.
Directory Changes
If you have address, telephone or fax changes, please notify Gerri Sandner at 312/988-5312 or gsander@staff.abanet.org. For those of you who have received the new 1995-96 Directory of Lawyer Assistance Programs, the following changes should be noted:
Florida: Florida Lawyers Assistance has a new area code. It has been changed from 305 to 954 for telephone and fax.
Michigan: Lawyers' and Judges Assistance Program, Don Pipes (Direct Dial) 517/346-6306; 24 hour pager 517/251-4888; and client contact number 800/996-5522.
Missouri: Lawyers' Assistance Committee, 314/469-9795 - 24 Hrs. And Answering Service Lawyers' Assistance Program, 1-800/688-7859 - 24 Hrs.
Nebraska: The Nebraska LAP has a new nationwide toll free number - 1-888/584-6527.
New Jersey: The NJLAP has a new fax number, or we listed a very old number in the directory. Please correct it to read 908/249-4564.
Young Lawyers Liaison to the Commission: Rachelle DesVaux has moved from San Francisco, California to Tampa, Florida. Her new address is: 101 E. Kennedy Boulevard, Barnett Plaza, Suite 2700, Tampa, Florida 33601 (Telephone: 813/227-7480) (FAX: 813/229-6553).
National Workshop on Lawyers Assistance Programs
In addition to a special segment for bar leaders, this National Workshop will offer a series of presentations for those states that are interested in establishing a more formalized, more structured program. These sessions are called "Evolution of a LAP" and have been organized by our liaison from Canada, Adrian Hill. Evolution of a LAP will offer five 45-60 minute presentations that will run consecutively with the other breakouts. The topics to be covered include: Referral to Treatment; Setting Up a LAP; How to Train a Peer Group Volunteer; Marketing, Funding and Politics; and Treatment Resources and Options. If you are interested in attending the Evolution of a LAP series, please sign up in advance on the enclosed registration form. Even if you have already registered for the Conference, please return the form with your choice of substantive breakout or the Evolution series. This form should also be used to order tickets to the optional dinner on Thursday evening at South Pointe Seafood House, at which Tom H. of the Coral Gables Group will speak, and for ordering tickets for a spouse or guest to the other food functions.
We now have support from twelve treatment facilities that will be displaying pertinent recovery information in our registration area and providing experts for the substantive breakouts. Our list of exhibitors now includes: Hanley-Hazelden Center at St. Mary's, Betty Ford Center, Rush Behavioral Health Center, COPAC, Del Amo Hospital, The Willough at Naples, Willingway Hospital, Talbott Marsh Recovery Center Timberlawn Mental Health System, Father Martin's Ashley, Menninger's, and West Pines. The following topics will be covered in the breakouts: Methamphetamines/Heroin/ Crack Cocaine; Extended Care - 1/2 Way, 3/4 Houses, Sober Housing; the difference between treating alcoholics and addicts; approaching lawyers between 12-step calls and intervention; domestic violence and addictions; brief therapy - emergency trends in treatment; adult attention deficit disorder and its affect on law practice; facing hostility of judges and discipline; aging attorneys; gambling; sexual Compulsivity; attorneys with bipolar disorder; and recovering attorneys dealing with alcoholic clients. Please take a few minutes to return the enclosed form with your registration fee and/or selection of breakouts, which will allow us to provide comfortable seating for the various meetings.
