A Healthy Lawyer is a Better Lawyer.
Attorneys are exposed to a variety of stresses in their profession, which can
take a toll on their mental and emotional well-being. Perhaps not
surprisingly, lawyers have been shown to abuse substances and suffer mental
health issues at higher rates than other professionals.
The Bar hopes this page will be a resource for information on staying healthy
in your practice and out.
Formerly Lawyers Helping Lawyers, this organization provides free,
confidential, non-disciplinary help to Virginia's
legal professionals and their families struggling with substance abuse,
addiction, depression, stress and anxiety, and other mental health issues.
24-Hour Help Line: 1-877-545-4682
This May 2019 report by VSB President Leonard C. Heath Jr.'s Special Committee
on Lawyer Well-Being identifies specific aspects or characteristics
of the practice of law that might serve as a risk to a lawyer’s
well-being. The report also includes an extensive bibliography with
further sourcing.
This 2022 Report is designed to supplement the 2019 Report. Accordingly, this Report includes updated discussion and matrix entries for these three previously identified occupational risks.
VSB Special Committee on Lawyer Well-Being: Report on the Statewide Survey of Virginia Wellness Initiatives
VSB Special Committee on Lawyer Well-Being: Report on the National Survey of Wellness Initiatives
In August 2017, Supreme Court of Virginia Chief Justice Donald W.
Lemons was one of 15 authors of a report, “The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive
Change.” And in September 2017, Chief Justice Lemons announced plans to form a
committee in Virginia to find ways to enhance lawyer well-being. Supreme Court
Justice William C. Mims, who has written on the topic for Virginia Lawyer magazine, chairs the committee.
