Editor’s Note: The following “Stories of Recovery” post was originally published in September 2017. We are republishing it in recognition of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. Another … Continue Reading
More and more people are focusing on wellness and well-being, a movement that has been around for decades and gained mainstream media attention in the past couple of years. In fact, the July issue of the Texas Bar Journal focuses on lawyer wellness and well-being with articles on brain health, how meaningful work boosts well-being, … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I started drinking in high school and immediately liked the way it made me feel. … Continue Reading
By Raul Ayala, Esq. You may vividly remember the time when you decided to pursue a legal career, a moment filled with passion and a desire to be of service to others and your community; however you may have defined it. Many of us wanted to directly tackle issues most affecting our Latino population-poverty; education, … Continue Reading
By C. Kelly Rentzel Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. According to a recent study, those who score top grades in … Continue Reading
The 29th Annual Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Convention will take place on June 1-3 at the Austin Marriott South. The convention will feature national speakers sharing their thoughts about current research on mental health, substance abuse recovery, and maintaining a more balanced professional life. Attendees will also have a chance to earn at least 6 hours … Continue Reading
A new video from the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program, featuring TLAP Director Bree Buchanan and Austin psychiatrist Robert Cantu, focuses on identifying post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after Hurricane Harvey. In The Trauma of Harvey: Identifying PTSD in Yourself and Others, Buchanan and Cantu discuss the symptoms of and treatment for PTSD after a natural … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I am a lawyer celebrating my first year as a solo. I am a horse … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I am supposed to be dead! I weighed over 350 pounds, had high blood pressure, borderline … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I feel like alcoholism just appeared in my life overnight. Logically, however, … Continue Reading
Three Texas attorneys were included on the annual Fastcase 50 list, which honors top innovators in the legal field. Cameron Vann, senior staff attorney for the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program; Cisselon Nichols Hurd, senior counsel to Shell Oil; and T. Jason Smith, senior director and legal counsel to software company Apttus, received the honor alongside attorneys, professors, … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I was the first born, over achiever, good grades. I worried so … Continue Reading
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Director Bree Buchanan was appointed chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. 2016-2017 American Bar Association President-elect Hilarie Bass appointed Buchanan to a one-year term beginning after the association’s Annual Meeting in August.… Continue Reading
The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program, or TLAP, launched a new website June 1 aimed at providing information and resources to Texas lawyers, law students, and judges who are concerned for themselves or a colleague in regards to general well-being, mental health, or substance use issues. The site, tlaphelps.org, is not only easy to navigate but … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at (800) 343-8527 and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I went to my first AA meeting at the age of 22 … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at (800) 343-8527 and find more information at tlaphelps.org. A while back, I had a plea in county court and another … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at (800) 343-8527 and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I was raised by hardworking and loving parents in a large Mexican-American … Continue Reading
The American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs is hosting a resilience training webinar this month. The program—which Texas Lawyers Assistance Program director Bree Buchanan helped produce—is called “Fierce & Gritty: Resilience Training for Lawyers” and aims to provide lawyers with strategies to build resilience in their lives and profession. “Developing resilience is critical … Continue Reading
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Director Bree Buchanan has been named co-chair of a national task force focused on improving lawyer wellness. The American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs Task Force on Lawyer Wellness is a joint effort between the commission, the National Organization of Bar Counsel, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and … Continue Reading
With September marking National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers is hosting a panel to bring attention to the mental health issues many lawyers face and combat the stigma associated with suicide. Lawyers experience depression and mental health issues at a much higher rate than those in other professions, according to … Continue Reading
A groundbreaking 2016 study on substance abuse and mental health problems among licensed attorneys is a call to action and a reminder that more must be done to remove the stigma that keeps people from seeking help. That was the message from panelists August 5 at a session during the National Conference of Bar Presidents … Continue Reading
The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program of the State Bar of Texas received the Texas Suicide Prevention Council’s Leadership Award yesterday at the Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium in San Marcos. The honor was bestowed on TLAP staff attorney Chris Ritter by the TSPC, a coalition of various community-based organizations, state and local agencies, and academic institutions, … Continue Reading
The journey from lawyer to yoga teacher to yoga-teaching lawyer Editor’s note: This story is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s “Stories of Recovery” series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, ‘law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at (800) 343-8527 and find more information at texasbar.com/TLAP. When I … Continue Reading
The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program was featured in a nonprofit TV channel segment “Mental Health Matters: In the Workplace,” on how states and employers support their workers dealing with mental illness. The segment on Mental Health Channel, an online network of free documentary-style programming about mental health topics, looks at legislative and employer-based policies aimed … Continue Reading
