Across the nation, lawyers’ assistance programs are encouraged by a new report that has every potential to be the catalyst for long overdue change in the legal profession.

The report, The Path to Lawyer Well-Being, calls for all major stakeholders to get involved first-hand in a mission to support the wellness and mental health of judges, lawyers and law students. Entitled “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change” it is by far the most comprehensive document ever generated as to precisely how courts, regulators, law firms, law schools, bar associations, liability carriers, and lawyers assistance programs can best work in concert to improve our collective well-being.

All stakeholders are encouraged to apply their respective expertise and influence within a unified mission to effectively address the plague of substance abuse, mental health, and general well-being threats that damage so many lives and careers in our profession (and often clients as well).

The report was generated by a national task force initiated by the American Bar Association’s Commission on […]

You can download and read the recent Summer Newsletter here: JLAP’s 2017 Summer Newsletter

JLAP is very excited this Summer to highlight its ongoing progress in delivering life-saving mental health and wellness support to the profession and its family members.

Perhaps the most encouraging news of all is that JLAP has seen a dramatic increase in the profession’s utilization of JLAP’s completely confidential services. In these cases, people are seeking help proactively, before their mental health issues ripen into disciplinary matters.

The newsletter also clearly explains the differences in JLAP’s services in the realm of bar admissions and disciplinary matters, versus JLAP’s services in the realm of totally confidential services.

In total, the newsletter demonstrates JLAP’s ongoing dedication to providing the finest services possible. Of course, none of this progress would be possible without the tireless efforts of JLAP’s Board, Operations Committee and volunteers, and the strong support for JLAP by virtually all stakeholders in the profession. We are all extremely grateful for all that you do for JLAP.

Please enjoy the Summer Newsletter […]

A high-powered Silicon Valley attorney dies. His ex-wife
investigates, and finds a web of drug abuse in his profession.

In July 2015, something was very wrong with my ex-husband, Peter. His behavior over the preceding 18 months had been erratic and odd. He could be angry and threatening one minute, remorseful and generous the next. His voice mail messages and texts had become meandering soliloquies that didn’t make sense, veering from his work travails, to car repairs, to his pet mouse, Snowball.

Continue reading here…

We are very excited to announce that Jennifer Gros is JLAP’s new Clinical Director! She has been on JLAP’s Professional Clinical Team as a full-time Clinical Case Manager since 2014. Jennifer is a Louisiana native, born and raised in Baton Rouge. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University in 2004. Thereafter she attended the University of North Texas where she was accepted into the National Scholars Honor Society and graduated Cum Laude with a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2007. Jennifer is a Master Addiction Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana.

Prior to her tenure at JLAP, Jennifer’s broad professional experience includes having practiced in both outpatient and inpatient mental health settings, providing group therapy and psychosocial assessments to patients with chronic mental illnesses. She has also served as the Clinical Director for a Residential Treatment Facility for substance use disorders.

In 2012 Jennifer was honored by the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse for the […]

On May 5-7^th 2017 LAP Directors from across the country and Canada came together in Atlanta, GA, for the first ever Independent Annual Retreat for LAP Directors and Assistant Directors. The event was organized by the Louisiana, Colorado, Delaware, Montana, New Jersey, Mississippi and Montana programs

Attendance was limited to LAP Directors and Assistant Directors only, and this one-and-one-half day seminar was a closed, confidential forum for LAPs’ Staff to discuss internal operating challenges and share experiences on how to address them. LAP Directors came to Atlanta from as far away as Vancouver BC and even the Hawaiian Islands.

Several presentations were made, including Louisiana’s presentation wherein the Michigan and Louisiana Directors made a presentation on Louisiana’s JLAP Performance Audit and answered questions about the Audit. The attendees were very grateful that the Louisiana Audit was available to them. Many other presentations and topics were covered by various State LAPs over the course of the weekend and it was a great success. LAP Directors are already committed repeating […]

Buddy Stockwell greets attendees at the New Orleans Bar Association’s 2017 Bench Bar Conference at The Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama.