The stigma attached to substance abuse, addiction and mental health problems is pervasive in the legal professions. Law firms, legal regulators and individual attorneys in South Florida are advocating for lasting solutions.
ALM Intelligence’s survey of Am Law 200 firm leaders about their attitudes and actions regarding addiction and mental health challenges reveals much work remains to be done to deal with the problem.
A dozen major law firms have already signed on to a seven-point pledge that the ABA hopes the whole industry will embrace.
Coral Gables attorney Harley Tropin has carved a niche in high-caliber complex and class action litigation with a national profile, and many of his…
As a legal recruiter for over 25 years in South Florida, I have worked with thousands of attorneys and have noticed a steadily increasing need for basic mental health education.
We asked readers to share the stress they see in the legal profession and how they deal with it. Coping options came from the Florida Bar president on down. Suggestions for taming the stress range from working directly on the stressor at hand to visualization and exercise.
“If I had known about it, I would have driven down, gotten on a megaphone and said, ‘Tim, do you really want your son to grow up without a father?’ because he was very caring about the child,” said retired judge Thomas Snook, former colleague of Social Security Judge Timothy Maher, who committed suicide after a 10-hour standoff with police.
Past and present Florida Bar presidents Michael J. Higer and Michelle Suskauer, and litigation director of the Disability Independence Group in Miami, Matthew Dietz, discuss mental health in the wake of Judge Timothy Maher’s suicide.
In the case of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD), many attorneys from Legal Aid Service of Broward County acted as emergency responders for the students, families and teachers who were affected by the violence that ripped through the city of Parkland.
Law student Capt. Julius Hobbs got the green light from a federal judge to proceed with a suit against the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, which handles bar admissions.
On June 22, it will be the 20th year of Pet Sitters International’s “Take Your Dog to Work Day®,” which encourages employers to allow pets to accompany employees to the office.
“My dog gives me balance,” said attorney Matthew Dietz. “It makes me into a better lawyer, it makes me into a better person.”
Happy employees are good for business, according to a Robert Half study on workplace happiness, It’s Time We All Work Happy™. They’re more loyal, productive, healthier and motivated to contribute to their company’s bottom line.
Coral Gables litigator Adam Moskowitz said he wants to help stoke honest conversations about stress and mental health in the legal profession.
ALM Survey on Mental Health and Substance Abuse: Big Law’s Pervasive Problem
