By Robynn Moraites We all have become increasingly comfortable recognizing and discussing a certain kind of professional distress that the LAP began focusing on in CLE presentations more than a decade ago: compassion fatigue and vicarious (or secondary) trauma leading to burnout. Today, such discussions are commonplace, appearing in firm-wide emails, CLE programming, and bar […]
By Robynn Moraites The lawyer assistance movement got its start in the mid-1970s when lawyers started getting sober in Alcoholics Anonymous (“AA”). As they got sober, they realized that their drinking buddies – typically other lawyers – could also benefit from getting sober. In its earliest days, the lawyer assistance movement (both nationally and in […]
(My apologies to Rodgers & Hammerstein) First, I am grateful that on October 3rd I celebrated 17 years of sobriety. And, coincidentally, and possibly a God “wink,” also my 38th wedding anniversary. But more on that later. I didn’t begin my life’s journey wishing I’d grow up to be an alcoholic. Far from it. My […]
By Robynn Moraites, Cathy Killian, Nicki Ellington and Candace Hoffman Once upon a time, 40+ years ago, a lawyer made a mistake on a legal matter and had a big “Oh no!” moment. He thought about the mistake from every angle for days. He could not figure out how to fix it. He was in […]
By Patrick Krill, Jordana Confino, and Jens Näsström In the high-stakes world of law, perfectionism is often celebrated as a virtue — a driving force behind meticulous briefs, airtight arguments, and victorious outcomes. Lawyers wear it as a badge of honor, a testament to their commitment to excellence in a profession where the margin for […]
By Reita Pendry The Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP), through its professional staff and a large network of volunteers, provides free confidential assistance to lawyers, judges, and law students in addressing substance abuse, mental health problems, and other stressors that may impair the ability to practice law effectively. Robynn Moraites, LAP and Its Regulatory Purpose, North […]
By Anonymous To be fair, it wasn’t good news. But the partner was practically hyperventilating. By his account, the news that we’d just received would destroy our client’s case, embarrass us in front of a federal judge, imperil our relationship with the client, and pitch the firm into financial freefall. In short, it was, through […]
By Robynn Moraites and Cathy Killian In the context of hurricanes, a “wind field” refers to the spatial distribution of winds around the eye of the storm. Think of it like a “blast radius.” It includes both the hurricane-force winds, which can extend from about 25 to 150 miles from the center, as well as […]
By: Cathy Killian and Candace Hoffman The Lawyer Assistance Program is uniquely positioned at a crossroads of two very different professions: lawyering and mental health counseling. The LAP is staffed with two professional counselors, Cathy Killian and Nicki Ellington, and two lawyers, Robynn Moraites and Candace Hoffman. We four often tease each other about how […]
Trauma is not necessarily what comes to mind when one thinks of lawyers and judges. Yet a surprising number of us come from traumatic backgrounds and childhoods. In fact, many folks who enter the legal profession do so precisely because of the historic trauma we have experienced. Maybe we want to work in the child […]
I am so sorry for your loss. If there is such thing as hell on earth, it is surely this. And yet, in the depth of your pain, your searing anguish is a holy testament to Love. You loved with your whole heart. Your whole soul. And they knew it. And they loved you, too. […]
Lynn S. Garson* April 15, 2021 [These are my thoughts as a lay person, not a counselor of any type or description, and do not reflect the opinions or positions of any other person, entity, agency or publication, including without limitation my employer, the State Bar of Georgia, the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism or […]