For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 19

their anonymity for me. I no longer had to ask
myself the question - "Who are these people?" I
knew exactly who they were.
I was reinstated to the practice of law by the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court in August, 2015, after
a suspension of nearly five and one-half years.5
It has been suggested by some researchers that
happiness may not exist in a successful lawyer's
life.6 Is it the stress that starts in law school, only to
be heightened upon graduation by our realization
that the qualities we possess that made us good
students are not necessarily those that will make
us good lawyers? More importantly, "the qualities
that make for a good lawyer may not make for a
happy human being."7
Others suggest that those lawyers who are
involved in litigation are especially at risk because
of the adversarial, win-lose nature of the process
itself. One lawyer's win equals another lawyer's
loss, thus the drive to win can become paramount
in the quest for the competent, zealous
representation of our clients that we are ethically
bound to exercise.8
When lawyers are faced with emotional
distress, however, they tend to judge themselves
harshly simply for feeling that way. And when
we fail to address stress, anxiety, depression and
other personal issues, it usually gets worse and can
lead to addiction or a breakdown and, thus, the
impaired lawyer.
Patrick Krill, an attorney as well as a certified
drug and alcohol counselor, was the lead researcher
for the 2016 report from the Hazelden Betty Ford
Foundation and the American Bar Association,
which analyzed the responses of 12,825 licensed,
practicing attorneys across 19 states, including
Pennsylvania. The results that were uncovered
were, in Krill's words, "incompatible with a
sustainable professional culture."9
The findings revealed that 21% of all licensed
attorneys report problematic drinking (defined
as hazardous drinking and possible dependence),
with that percentage increasing to 32% among
those 30 years of age and younger. In addition,
43.7% reported problematic use within their first
15 years of practice. That compares with only 6.4%
of the entire adult U.S. population.
Only 3,419 lawyers answered questions about
drug use. Of the lawyers that did answer those
questions, 5.6% reported using cocaine, crack and

stimulants; 5.6% reported using opioids; 10.2%
reported using marijuana and hash; and nearly
16% reported using sedatives. Only 3% of the
lawyers surveyed expressed "severe" concern over
their drug use.
Krill's feelings about those findings were clear
and concise. "One possibility is that a significantly
smaller percentage of attorneys in the study are
using drugs as compared to alcohol. We don't think
that's true. Alcohol is legal," Mr. Krill said, not to
mention socially acceptable. "So admitting you
drink too much is not directly at odds with your
role as a licensed attorney. Not so with the use of
illicit drugs. I think the incidence of drug use and
abuse is significantly underreported," he said.10
With regard to mental health concerns, the
study revealed that 28% of all attorneys reported
problems with depression, as compared with 6.6%
of all adult Americans.
Since 1988, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of
Pennsylvania has provided free, safe, confidential
and supportive services to Pennsylvania lawyers
and judges, members of their families, and law
students in the form of a 24 hour, confidential
Helpline11 and peer assistance program. We have
a skilled, six person paid staff and 320 volunteers.
LCL services include an LCL funded evaluation
with a health care professional, free literature and
resources, intervention services, as well as peer
support and assistance with treatment obstacles.
Most importantly, LCL offers encouragement and
support in a safe, non-judgmental environment.
In 2016, LCL offered 253 evaluations to callers by
141 independent healthcare providers in a network
that reaches all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. During
the first half of 2017, LCL has had an 8.2% increase in
Helpline calls, resulting in recommendations for 181
evaluations and 144 volunteer recommendations,
most of which were accepted.
Vol. 2, Issue 3 | For The Defense

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http://www.lclpa.org/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017
