Tune in for a live stream of the Stanford Law School program:
The Elephant in the Room: The Legal Profession, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse
Thursday, February 8, 2018 | 2:45pm CST
Panel Description:
As lawyers, we are taught to be problem identifiers and solvers, adherents to logical analysis to create resolution for complex emotional and business issues. And yet, as a profession, we face significant problems in our own population with mental health and substance abuse. In 2016, a large study found that 21 percent of licensed, employed attorneys qualify as problem drinkers, 28 percent of lawyers experience depression, and 19 percent have anxiety symptoms. The study found younger attorneys in the first 10 years of practice have the highest incidence of these problems. In summer 2017, the New York Times published a remarkable piece describing the opiate addiction and eventual overdose death of a Wilson Sonsini partner, written by his ex-wife and our panelist, Eilene Zimmerman. The problems of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse reach across all tiers of our profession. The Center on the Legal Profession and the Office of Student Affairs will sponsor this panel discussion led by Professor Joe Bankman and featuring Ms. Zimmerman, Professor Andy Benjamin of University of Washington, and Patrick Krill, former practicing attorney and now mental health consultant. More information: In-Person | Live Stream
