The North Carolina State Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) held its
second-annual roundtable discussion at the Elon School of Law
Wednesday, June 27 in Greensboro. Representatives from the state’s
seven law schools gathered to discuss ways the program can help law
students and faculty, as well as attorneys across North Carolina.
The LAP confidentially assists lawyers, judges and law students with
issues such as depression, substance abuse and stress management.
Towanda Garner, LAP coordinator for the Piedmont region of North
Carolina, said the high stress nature of a legal career makes law
students and attorneys prone to behavioral or substance abuse problems.
An American Bar Association study estimates that 50 percent of
disciplinary cases involving attorneys are rooted in substance abuse.
Garner said a dedicated group of volunteers in the legal community
provide the first point of contact for those who need assistance.
“I cannot thank them enough for the time and commitment these
volunteers have shown in support of lawyers, judges and law students,”
Garner said.
Karen Schaede, a Greensboro attorney and preceptor at the Elon School
of Law, made a brief presentation about the preceptor program. Assigned
to each student, preceptors are practicing attorneys who guide and mentor students’ professional
development throughout their course of study at Elon.
Another preceptor, Steve Crihfield with the Greensboro firm of Douglas,
Ravenel, Hardy & Crihfield, shared information about BarCARES, a
confidential counseling service for lawyers and their families provided
by the North Carolina Bar Association. Similar to the State Bar’s LAP
program, BarCARES provides three free counseling sessions each year for
attorneys and immediate family members to deal with stress, substance
abuse, job loss and burnout and marital or parenting problems.
Both the LAP and BarCARES programs work to provide early intervention
for attorneys, solving problems before they adversely affect lawyers
and their clients.