Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers serves as Minnesota's Lawyers assistance program. Lcl offers free, confidential help to Lawyers, judges, law students, other legal professionals, and their immediate family members affected by chemical misuse or other addictions; depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues; stress and related concerns. Lcl provides professional and peer assistance including up to four free counseling sessions and referrals to other professional services as well as peer support. Lcl served over 400 new clients in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Lcl made over 250 referrals for professional services and over 500 direct counseling hours were provided. Volunteers reported nearly 1,300 hours of service including nearly 750 hours directly assisting clients. Lcl's educational efforts in 2023-24 reached every facet of Minnesota's legal profession, as we continued to support people in challenging times. Volunteers and staff made over 200 appearances including substantive programs, public service announcements, exhibit tables and law school orientations and classes. In 2023-24, lcl added new programs and program content based on current events and the needs of the profession. This included new programs on isolation, resilience strategies in times of social change, and new data about mental health and substance use in the legal profession. In educational programs, lcl endeavors to inform and support the legal profession with fresh perspectives to increase engagement. Lcl programming was customized for audiences based on their type of work (public service, judicial, law students, etc.) And by practice or other focus areas such as employment law, business law, family law, criminal law, new Lawyers, solo practitioners, and in-house counsel. Lcl collaborated with a number of other entities including local and national bar associations as well as service providers to present a broader range of programming on topics such as mental health and addiction in the legal profession, stress management, suicide prevention, well-being, problem gambling, trauma awareness and resilience, implicit bias, and specific mental health and addiction issues. for some focused programs lcl surveyed participants in advance and provided survey results as part of the program. Lcl cle programs qualified for elimination of bias, ethics, or general cle credit. Lcl will roll out new content on july 1, 2024 to qualify for a new Minnesota mental health and substance use cle requirement. During law school exams, following major events and at other times, lcl provided stress management and other tools and resources via social media platforms, such as blog posts and articles. Several major articles appeared in Minnesota and national publications. Lcl continued to leverage remote opportunities while the requests for in-person appearances increased. Lcl hosts general support groups for legal professionals, facilitated by therapists. Additional support groups include family support, discipline and practice, adhd support, parenting, and Lawyers in transition. Lcl mailed an informational brochure to every attorney in Minnesota. New Lawyers receive these at the admission ceremony and lcl distributes brochures to law students and judges as well. Lcl held a "stepping up for well-being" breakfast which brought together supporters and allies in a call to action. The lcl board committed to a strategic planning process to update the prior plan. Lcl is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and actively participates in many Minnesota diversity committees. Lcl meets all standards of the Minnesota charities review council. This certification demonstrates that the organization meets accountability standards in the areas of public disclosure, governance, financial accounting, and fundraising. Lcl is a candid (formerly guidestar) gold member.