Retirement. Depending on where someone is on the age spectrum, it is a prospect too distant to be felt with any sense of reality or something that is coming like a fastball straight at your nose. Two lawyers who recently retired and I exchanged our thoughts about life in retirement.
Before the pandemic, large law firms and legal departments in Indiana were among 187 signatories around the country who pledged to encourage attorneys to focus on wellness and wellbeing as part of an American Bar Association initiative. Since March, some of the programs have added or adapted programming to virtual programs, including yoga and meditation.
The legal profession recently lost a bit of joy, comfort and unconditional love. Gus, the 10-year-old golden retriever and JLAP therapy dog who was a regular sight at state and local bar association events, died July 3.
An Indianapolis attorney who pled guilty to disorderly conduct arising from a domestic altercation at home has received a stayed suspension from the Indiana Supreme Court, causing a divide among the justices, two of whom favored an active suspension.
I’m a lawyer, so I’m a good communicator, right? Or at least I have been conditioned to believe that. In my own practice, I listen and respond to arguments all the time. Reflecting on my personal interactions, I would like to think that I take the time to look and listen to the person I am speaking with. So what more could I do? Doesn’t this mean I’m a good listener? If attorneys are supposedly so good at communicating, do I know what am I actually communicating when I interact with colleagues, coworkers and clients?
An Indiana State Bar Association online program geared toward newly admitted attorneys is hoping to prepare and equip new lawyers on how to begin their legal careers in the midst of uncertain times posed by COVID-19.
Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush staunchly supports and promotes well-being in the legal profession. When she talks to Indiana judges, lawyers and law students, Rush frequently mentions the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program. During her State of the Judiciary speech in January, the first topic Rush mentioned was Indiana’s problem-solving courts, which focus on issues including drugs and mental health.
A Fort Wayne lawyer who was suspended from the practice of law in 2008 was reinstated Friday by the Indiana Supreme Court.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a multifaceted grief storm. It is an assault on our physical, emotional, psychological, sociological and spiritual well-being. Grit and grace can help us weather this storm and others.
Hoosier law students shuttered indoors amidst calls to stay at home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 can still find comfort and support through weekly virtual meetings hosted by the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program.
For those of us who manage employees, how we engage (or don’t engage) them impacts how our work gets done.
A Delaware County lawyer found with drugs in his home will serve a four-month suspension, plus probationary monitoring under the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program. The order culminates the sixth formal disciplinary action against the Muncie attorney.
A Noblesville attorney has been suspended from the practice of law with two years of probation monitored by the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program after failing to inform and refund several clients, among other things.
The Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program has announced that Kirby, its beloved therapy dog who was a staple at many legal events around the state, died Jan. 29 after a brief illness. He was 14.
In his 20-plus years of serving the legal community of Indiana, Frank Kimbrough has perfected the most vital aspect of any helping venture: the connection.
When my colleagues first expressed a vision for healthier lawyers — not merely helping those already struggling with addiction and mental health diagnoses, but helping all lawyers to thrive — some laughed. Someone even suggested to me that the title for a presentation I was giving should be “Is Lawyer Well-Being an Oxymoron?”
Lawyers are fixers. We fix things other people have messed up. So, obviously, we like to project a persona that is not in need of fixing. We hold ourselves to a high standard to get new clients, bill more hours, finish an opinion, bring that next charge, defend the next client … always perfectly. And that’s the crux. Because, of course, we are not perfect. But that desire to be so affects our wellness and can lead to substance use disorder, anxiety, depression and grief.
Replacements have been selected to fill upcoming vacancies on the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program Advisory Committee, the Indiana Supreme Court has announced.
An attorney for Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. received a stayed suspension from the Indiana Supreme Court and will undergo a year of substance abuse monitoring after a drunken-driving conviction arising from a property damage car crash nearly two years ago. Jonathan T. Tempel was suspended for 90 days with automatic reinstatement, stayed subject to completion of one year of monitoring by the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program.
During my initial campus visits to Indiana law schools, I encountered several students who manifested the stressors of their academic environment in a number of ways. Some had turned to alcohol and other drugs, sometimes resulting in serious consequences such as DUI arrests and academic probation. Others demonstrated noticeable signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression.