The VBA Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Bar Association.
Issue link: http://vba.epubxp.com/i/99281
" As a self-regulating profession, Virginia attorneys shoulder a responsibility to protect the public from lawyers whose performance is impaired by substance abuse and mental health problems. "Health, wealth and intellect are three of the things most likely to keep someone from realizing they have a problem," said Mercer, a past president and current board member of Virginia's Lawyers Helping Lawyers assistance program. "Lawyers are the last to admit we have a problem." Since 1985, Lawyers Helping Lawyers has connected Virginia lawyers with colleagues who understand their struggles. "Tere are things that a recovering alcoholic can do to help that other people can't do," said George Hettrick of Hunton & Williams in Richmond, whose involvement with Lawyers Helping Lawyers began when he fnished treatment for substance abuse in 1989. "We can ofer a level of empathy that is persuasive to the person who has a problem. In most cases, the person is in denial and won't want to admit that they have a problem. But when they talk to someone who is in recovery, they often have a diferent reaction. "Tose situations give Lawyers Helping Lawyers the opportunity to say, 'We know what's going on. We have gone down that road. Let's see if we can help,'" Hettrick said. Lawyers Helping Lawyers formed as a separate entity under 28 • VBA JOURNAL Te Virginia Bar Association and initially dealt exclusively with substance abuse problems. In 2003, the organization became an independent 501(c)(3) nonproft entity and expanded its mission to include mental health issues. Because Lawyers Helping Lawyers is separate from the Virginia State Bar, it overcomes one of the common objections lawyers have to seeking help: the fear that doing so will jeopardize their license to practice law. Jim Lefer, executive director of Lawyers Helping Lawyers and its licensed clinician, said all program services are confdential and free of charge. In fact, seeking help from Lawyers Helping Lawyers can help save a career being put at risk by a substance abuse or mental health problem. Te program even ofers a monitoring contract to ensure that a lawyer takes the necessary steps to resolve his or her problems while continuing to practice law. As a self-regulating profession, Virginia attorneys shoulder a responsibility to protect the public from lawyers whose performance is impaired by substance abuse and mental health problems.