On-Demand Video
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Distressed Lawyers – An Occupational Hazard? (2025 Estate & Elder Law Symposium session)

  • City:
  • Start Date:2025-02-20 10:00:00
  • End Date:
  • Length:
  • Level:Intermediate
  • Topics:Ethics

$79.00 ProPass

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This program is eligible for 1 hour of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 1.2 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.

Overview

Ethics - Distressed Lawyers - An Occupational Hazard?
Brian Quinn

If there is one phrase we continue to hear more than any other term as we navigate through our “new normal” world, it is “stressed out.” But what is stress? What does it look like and feel like? More importantly, what can we do to prevent the normal stress and “lawyer anxiety” so common in our profession from developing into the physically and emotionally draining state known as Burnout? Has it really become an occupational hazard? Recent studies have shown that there has been a dramatic increase in impairment due to alcoholism, addiction and mental health disorders among members of the legal profession. The statistics are compelling and clearly indicate that 1 out of 3 attorneys will likely have a need for substance use or mental health services at some point in their careers. Hear from our experienced speaker as he discusses:

  1. The early warning signs of impairment.
    A. Symptoms of stress and burnout that are particularly prevalent among members of the legal profession and how our professional culture may be contributing to the problems we face.
    B. Discussion will include the basic stress reactions, both physical and psychological; the difference between healthy stress and distress;
    C. Guidelines for a “master plan”, including realistic prevention strategies that work.
  2. Why lawyers and judges are at especially high risk to develop mental health and substance use disorders.
  3. The free services that Lawyers Assistance Programs provide to lawyers, judges, their family members and law students.
  4. The barriers that prevent lawyers and judges from seeking the help they need.
  5. Discussion of Rules 5.1 and 5.2 regarding the responsibilities of lawyers and supervisory and subordinate lawyers.
  6. The connection between impairment and ethical challenges, including a discussion of the duty to report misconduct and the impact of PA/ABA Rule 8.3(c) and the role lawyers assistance programs may play.




Recorded in February 2025.

Faculty

Brian S. Quinn, Esq.

Mr. Quinn is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania who currently serves as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc., a Lawyers Assistance Program established in 1988 for the purpose of helping lawyers, judges and law students recover from alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health disorders. Mr. Quinn obtained his undergraduate degree in 1970, his law degree in 1973 and a certificate in Drug and Alcohol counselling in 2012, from Villanova University. Prior to his work with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, he was a private practitioner for over 40 years and has also worked in the field of Alcohol and Drug Counseling in suburban Philadelphia. Mr. Quinn is a past member of the Board of Directors of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania and served as a peer volunteer for over six years prior to accepting his current role as the organization’s Educator in 2017. He has written and presented on lawyer wellness topics to law firms, Bar Associations and legal education providers for state, national and international groups as well.

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