Illinois (IL) Mental Health Sub. Abuse CLE Course Catalog

Global pandemics like COVID-19 put into stark relief the extraordinary stressors that you, your firm's employee and your clients are under. How do you recognize the signs and symptoms of behavioral health disorders that can be adversely affected by the current situation? And do you have the strategies to address these? Making sure you do is part of the ethical responsibility you owe your client(s).

This panel will be led by a senior program analyst for the Law Assistance Program for the State Bar of California and will be an interactive discussion about how prevalent substance use and mental health issues are among attorneys, and how substance use and mental health issues impair an attorney’s ability to perform legal services competently.

In this program, Dr. Brian Russell, will give valuable tips and strategies in how lawyers can handle the numerous aspects that the COVID-19 pandemic can affect in their lives both professionally and personally.

In this program, Dr. Brian Russell, Clinical Psychologist and Attorney at Law, will discuss the different impairments that can affect an attorney. The ethics rules are implicated in addressing the issues involved and how it affects the practice of law. He will also discuss different ways attorneys can find help.

Got serenity? Being a lawyer is stressful. Healthy strategies for managing that stress are out there. Learn from fellow ABA members as they share their personal success stories for dealing with stress and provide information about successful programs already in place.

Feeling overwhelmed by your workload? Thinking about taking a mental health break from practice but worried about the stigma or impact it may have on your partnership track? Join Reed Smith counsel Mark Goldstein as he provides insight on how he was able to be a lawyer while coping with mental health disabilities. This very intimate discussion will also offer tips for attorneys who are currently struggling with mental health issues.

Do you know how widespread mental illness and substance use disorders are in the legal profession? We think you'll be surprised by this broad discussion about how they became so pervasive in the industry. This program will give you background information as well as practical advice on how to help eradicate the stigma of mental illness and substance use disorders in order to make the legal community a healthier one.

In this session, GCs and in-house counsel weigh in on the importance of managing stress in a healthy way -- the ability to identify and manage emotions to support mental health, maintaining a proper diet and nutrition, while minimizing the use of addictive substances, and cultivating personal satisfaction, growth and enrichment in work -- and discuss the steps that their organizations are taking to promote a healthy work/life balance and positive mental health.

Join our experts as they discuss depression, anxiety, and stress and the steps to foster well-being.