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Vol. 72, No. 4, April 1999 |
President's Perspective
You Needn't Suffer Alone -
Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program
Is On Call for You
By Susan
R. Steingass
I don't have to tell you that the practice of law is
full of stress, anxiety, and worry. This is true whether you're
a transactional lawyer or a litigator, a prosecutor or a probate
lawyer, whether you practice alone or in a large firm. Our profession
is full of requirements for exact and timely performance. We
carry the burden of our clients' problems as well as our
own. Many lawyers find satisfaction in the profession, and even
grow and thrive, professionally and personally, in the face of
these pressures. But many experience mental and physical problems
or develop other career-related concerns as a result.
Studies have found that lawyers fall prey at an alarming rate
to burnout, job dissatisfaction, depression, chemical dependency,
and a host of psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms
related to stress from the practice of law. This is devastating
to the lawyers who suffer these effects and the clients whose
matters affected lawyers may fail to attend to. Some affected
lawyers may so neglect client matters as to ultimately result
in grievances filed against them with the Board of Attorneys
Professional Responsibility (BAPR).
The State Bar's Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) was
formed as a member service and a public service. It offers confidential
assistance to lawyers experiencing these problems, and provides
public information through educational programs.
WisLAP is staffed by State Bar employees Shell Goar, the overall
program coordinator and the on call stress helpline and career-change
contact, and Lea Landmann, administrator of the program's
chemical dependency component and the on call chemical dependency
helpline contact. Attorney Gregory Van Rybroeck, a licensed psychologist
and clinical director at the Mendota Mental Health Institute,
trains WisLAP volunteers and is the program consultant. The program
operates under the aegis of the WisLAP Committee, which is jointly
chaired by attorneys Thomas R. Casper, C. Michael Hausman, and
Winifred A. Nathan.
WisLAP maintains a 24-hour helpline to deal with requests
for help by and on behalf of attorneys. The helpline, indeed
any communication, is absolutely confidential, and the helpline
does not even use caller ID devices.
WisLAP also welcomes attorney volunteers and provides training
for them. The list of attorneys willing to help is growing, but
we need more.
The role of trained volunteers is carefully delineated as
a listening and helping role as opposed to the treatment role
that is performed by trained mental health professionals. Through
the WisLAP stress and mental health and the chemical dependency
program administrators, referrals also are made to appropriate
medical and community resources, and sometimes to self-help groups.
Potential trained volunteers who fear they will become privy
to information that triggers the mandatory reporting requirement
for BAPR, remember that Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule 20:8.3(c)
expressly exempts WisLAP volunteers from reporting any professional
misconduct learned about in the course of confidential counseling.
WisLAP also provides educational programs on a variety of
topics ranging from burnout, anxiety, coping with the demands
of practice, job dissatisfaction, job changes, and more. Staff
and volunteers also offer a three-hour CLE Ethics program on
avoiding grievances and malpractice dealing with stress, burnout,
depression, and chemical dependency. This program has already
been presented to 12 local bar associations, including a session
I attended in Sturgeon Bay for the Door, Kewaunee, and Brown
county bars. Consider asking your local bar to sponsor such a
worthwhile program which, incidentally, satisifies the entire
ethics requirement for reporting members.
Recently, the Young Lawyers Division joined with WisLAP to
offer "Been There, Done That," a program that pairs
attorneys who call about concerns with career-related issues
with volunteers who have faced similar issues themselves.
This is very important work so, be you a potential trained
volunteer or a lawyer who could use some help, please call WisLAP.
The helpline is always open, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week,
and is absolutely confidential. The helpline numbers are listed
below and are on your State Bar member card!
We all have busy and sometimes stressful lives in a stressful
profession. So please call, whether you want help or to help.
Help is a confidential phone call away ... 24-hours every
day
- Stress Helpline, (800) 543-2625 - stress, depression,
or professional crisis
- Chemical Dependency Helpline, (800) 254-9154 - alcohol
or drug-related concerns
- For career-related concerns, (800) 444-9404, ext. 6172
For more information, or to become a trained volunteer, please
call Shell Goar at (800)
444-9404, ext. 6172.
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