Articles
Public service is very gratifying, but it can be stressful to both judges and their families. Many states offer confidential assistance programs to provide support and guidance when judges and their families are in need. This section of the website highlights examples of programs offered in some states and links to impairment assistance websites in the various states, territories, and commonwealths. We also include timeless articles on related matters of interest.
- Directory of Lawyer Assistance Programs
- Commission on Lawyer Assistance Program (CoLAP)
- The American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs website has extensive information on these issues of concern.
- Judicial Assistance Initiative - Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs (CoLAP)
The Judicial Assistance Initiative is composed of members of the ABA Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs (CoLAP), the ABA Judicial Division (JD) and the American Judicature Society (AJS). The mission of the Judicial Assistance Initiative is to develop a comprehensive national program that will effectively assist judges who may be depressed, chemically dependent, or have other mental health conditions that impair judicial performance. The project seeks to identify and assist judges who may be affected by conditions that impair their judicial performance and threaten their emotional or physical safety, and uses the total wellness concept as a way to educate judges about alcohol and substance abuse, mental health issues, and stress.
- Judicial Assistance Initiative: Interview with Mirelsa Modestti Gonzalez, Ph D
- The Many Faces of Denial
Mirelsa Modestti-González, Ph D - Las Muchas Caras de la Negación (Spanish)
Mirelsa Modestti-González, Ph D
Alcohol and Substance Abuse
- Substance Abuse and Dependence
Seymour Abrahamson
Providing Help to Judges in Distress
- Judges in Distress: When to Seek Help
Mirelsa Modestti González, Ph D
Major articles include:
- Building and Maintaining Supportive Relationships Between Judicial Officers and Their Loved Ones
Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute - The Harder They Fall: A Hand Up for Impaired Judges. A six member panel symposium.
- Addressing Disability and Promoting Wellness in the Federal Courts.
Richard Carlton, California Lawyers Assistance Program.
- The Worst-Kept Secret in the Courthouse.
Cynthia Gray, director of NCSC's Center for Judicial Ethics.
- In addition there are three sidebars containing personal stories by members, present and former, of the judiciary with respect to their addictions and treatments.
- Warning Signs for Suicide
Shared by Indiana Judges and Lawyers Assistance Director Terry Harrell
Resources
- California Judicial Officers Assistance Program
- National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- New York State Unified Court System Work/Life Assistance Program
- Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program Video
- New York State Lawyer Assistance Trust
- The West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program
A Lawyer's Guide to Healing by Don Carroll-Solutions for Addiction and Depression (available from www.hazelden.org). This book received outstanding reviews in he ABA's publication "Highlights".