Find an accessible transcript of our video here.
Our Mission:
The mission of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Inc. (LCL) is to promote well-being and resilience in the legal community, improve lives, nurture competence, and elevate the standing of the legal profession.
Our Vision:
A Healthy & Thriving Legal Community.
Our Core Values:
Excellence: Creativity, Knowledge, Efficiency, Growth, Teamwork, Service
Leadership: Responsibility, Conscientiousness, Compassion, Diversity, Curiosity, Caring, Making a difference
Wellbeing: Belonging, Diversity, Humor, Kindness, Love, Humanity, Wholeness, Community, Learning
Our CORE Commitment TO THE LEGAL COMMUNITY:
LCL welcomes and supports people from all backgrounds. We choose to promote accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion so that all members of our legal community can experience recognition and belonging.
Our Services:
We provide assessment and consultation for addiction, substance use disorders, mental health concerns, and law office management, which can often be negatively impacted by these conditions.
Our services are free to students, lawyers, judges, and members of the legal community. A portion of bar dues collected from lawyers is allocated to our work. As a result, we do not charge for these basic services to lawyers and members of the legal community.
Our services are confidential. The Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.6(d) protects communications of clients seeking services from LCL the same as communications between lawyers and their clients. In addition, those seeking mental health treatment receive the same protections every person receives regarding their treatment information. That means LCL does not disclose client information without the client’s consent or a court order. It also means that seeking treatment or consulting LCL for law office management will not be the basis of any disciplinary action.
Our clinical staff are licensed professionals with many years of experience, including some who specialize in addiction treatment. After providing clients with a one-on-one assessment, our clinical staff assist the client in accessing the help they need in the community. Our clinical staff also provide support for a variety of issues that are particularly challenging for the legal profession such as solo practitioners, immigration practice, and lawyers involved in bar discipline by facilitating support groups.
Our Law Office Management Program (LOMAP) is conducted by experienced professionals who work as Law Office Advisors to assist attorneys with technology, marketing, ethics, and practice management needs. These services are particularly useful for solo practitioners and small firms, especially those just starting out. Our LOMAP services are also used by clients who are returning to practice or are involved in disciplinary matters.
Our knowledgeable and experienced professionals are available to provide educational presentations to legal employers, law firms, bar associations, judges, law schools and agencies throughout Massachusetts. The goal of these programs is to raise awareness of our services, provide education about the impact that substance use and mental health conditions, as well as help the legal community achieve and maintain its wellbeing.
TRANSCRIPT
Upbeat background music starts to play. Warm light frames a circle where a shining version of the LCL logo appears on a black background. The logo is an orange circle featuring the outline of Massachusetts and text: “LCL, Helping Lawyers since 1978.” White text appears below: “Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Inc.” Executive Director Stacey A. L. Best, Esq., appears in the LCL office, speaking to the camera. Stacey Best: “LCL has been around since 1978. It was started by a group of lawyers shortly after the ABA had done a study that revealed that there were high rates of alcohol use amongst attorneys. Even though attorneys were having these problems and difficulties, that it shouldn’t be career ending and it shouldn’t be defining of them as lawyers.” The screen cuts to footage of an attorney reviewing paperwork in a courtroom. Rachel Casper, Director of Strategic Operations & Marketing, appears on screen. Rachel Casper: “So, we have the clinical mental health and well-being services, and then we also have practice management services. So, in addition to kind of helping with all of those kind of mental and well-being struggles that do affect lawyers more than the general population — depression, anxiety, vicarious trauma, especially for certain practice areas, even ADHD is more common among lawyers.” Footage of legal professionals collaborating in an office and a closeup of a lawyer looking distressed. Clinician Tracey Meyers, PsyD, speaks to the camera. Tracey Meyers: “I think it’s really understanding what a life of a lawyer is like. Other lawyers will sometimes say, ‘I tried to go to therapy or I tried counseling in the past, and the person was great, but they didn’t understand the stressors, the unique stressors that it is like to be a law student or to be a lawyer.’ And at LCL, we really get it.” Footage of a stressed lawyer at her desk. A shot of an attorney mediating a dispute between clients. Clinician Jeff Fortgang, PhD, LADC I, appears on screen. Jeff Fortgang: “What’s very rewarding is we see a lot of people, especially young people, but lawyers of all ages and law students, who have never talked to a therapist before. They have no idea what to expect, and then they find out, ‘Oh, it’s really helpful to sort things out, to be listened to and understood, to talk about things I can’t talk to my family or friends about.’” Closeup of the door sign to LCL’s office, Suite 810. The video cuts back to Jeff Fortgang as he speaks to the camera. Director of Administrative Operations & Clinician Shawn Healy, PhD, appears on screen. Shawn Healy: “I talk to them about their work, their life, their interests, sort of like where their pain points are, where their stressors are. And I try to make helpful recommendations for what they can do, what they have control over.” A legal professional smiles and looks directly at the camera on a city street. Clinician Barbara Bowe, LICSW, speaks to the camera. Barbara Bowe: “We have really a very good footprint in terms of the early life of a lawyer. So, we’re able to have a lot of interaction with law schools and see people very early in their career, folks who are mid-range in their career, folks who sometimes get in trouble in terms of their career and get suspended or disbarred and work toward reinstatement again, as well as folks that are in retirement. So, there’s not really that many programs that can attend to a person’s entire professional life like we can do.” Stacey Best reappears on screen. The video cuts to footage of attorneys appearing before a judge. Stacey: “We understand the humanity that impacts the legal community or individuals in the legal community. The legal community has the reputation for being static, for being traditional and in some ways not very diverse. Those things are changing, growing and improving, and LCL wants to also be a leader in those areas.” Footage of LCL staff collaborating in a lounge space and a closeup of Stacey as she listens to her colleagues. Law Practice Technology Specialist Laura Keeler speaks to the camera. Laura Keeler: “Reach out. You don’t have to be in dire straits to come to LCL, I feel like that’s often a misperception in the legal community. If you have fallen into a hole and you need help digging yourself out with better practices, we can help with that, but we can also help with prevention.” A judge looks stressed while talking on the phone. Tracey Meyers reappears on screen. Tracey: “We’re continuing to really get the word out that coming in, meeting with a clinician isn’t scary, isn’t difficult, and to normalize that everyone needs help at key times in their life.” Rachel reappears on screen, speaking to the camera. Rachel: “The pressure on people in the legal profession can sometimes lead to an inertia, and they don’t know what to do or how to act. And I think 100% of the time, that is what we’re great with. Like, we’ll figure out the problem, we’ll figure out the parts, and we’ll figure out next steps.” Footage of Rachel presenting to her colleagues. Closeup of Barbara asking a question and nodding along to the presentation. Senior Law Practice Advisor Luz Carrion, Esq., speaks to the camera. Luz Carrion: “But we’re also mindful of other issues that are not within the realm of our practice management department. For example, if there are clinical issues, we’re very mindful of that, and we’re able to tap into our resources on the clinical side and collaborate with the clinical side and help the attorney in a more comprehensive way.” Amy Levine, Director of Programs & Volunteers, appears on screen. Amy Levine: “The staff that we have here are incredibly good at what they do. I listen to them in meetings, and I am so impressed. I’ve watched presentations, I’ve organized the presentations, and they’re knowledgeable, and I think they really provide strategies.” Footage of Rachel answering her colleagues’ questions during a presentation. Closeup of Amy smiling in a conference room alongside Shawn and Jeff. Barbara reappears on screen, speaking to the camera. Barbara: “When I first came to LCL, people were like, ‘Ooh, you’re going to work with lawyers. It’s going to be so hard.’ No, really, actually, not so much. It’s been really interesting. It’s been exciting in a variety of different ways. And it’s been nice to be able to feel like you can actually make an impact on people’s lives, and how they manage, and how they function, and how productive they can be.” Footage of Shawn, Tracey, and Jeff collaborating on laptops in a conference room. Barbara sits at a table, listening intently. Tracey speaks to the camera. Tracey: “One success story comes to mind. I recently had a law student reach out and say that – I’d seen them during their 1L and 2L years periodically – and wrote and said that they were graduating, and that they felt the support that they received ongoing over the course of their law student career really made a huge difference.” Stacey speaks to the camera. Stacey: “LCL is a place where anyone can come, anyone in the legal community, can come and receive help for whatever the issues might be that are impeding their ability to thrive.” Rachel speaks to the camera. Rachel: “However it’s manifesting, whatever its source is, we’ll figure it out, and we will have solutions and resources and next steps to take. And that’s for anyone in any position, in the legal profession, any struggle, any nature, we’d figure it out.” Warm light frames a circle where a shining version of the LCL logo appears on a black background. White text appears on screen: LCLMA.org. (617) 482-9600. The upbeat background music fades.