bar lawyer

♪ i'm here because i had a profound experience coming to l.a.p. it completely changed my life, and because it changed my life in so many ways, i, i want other people to benefit from that and to know how great this program is, and i am happy to be here to help share that with other people. ♪ the mission of the lawyer assistance program

is to support recovering attorneys, so that they can continue in or return to the competent practice of the law. when l.a.p. was created it was an avenue to be able to let a lawyer get help, continue to practice law, while they made restitution, while they showed the state bar that they could rehabilitate. it started with a d.u.i. that was right,that was when the consequences began to stack up. i was made aware of the program through the office of the

chief trial council of the state barr of california. ah, discipline charges were filed against me. i had gotten into some trouble, ah, legal trouble, and that involved the state bar. i joined the program uhm, because i discovered that i had a major depression problem that affected my uhm, ability to function and make good decisions. you may know that you are on the wrong track, but not know how to make it right, and that's usually the people that come to us. we're there to help you make it right. in the beginning that might seem like too, uh, too much to handle.

our job is to make it doable for you, so that we are all successful. i was just doing it 'cause i thought this was, that my attorney had advised that this was something to do and i said okay. i'll try it. and had no idea what i was getting myself into. we are not about trying to replace the various treatment resources that are available in communities throughout the state. it's really about trying to support and assist someone, and guide them through the recovery process,

and perhaps recommend additional support resources that will be useful and beneficial to them in their recovery. our program actually provides therapy, provides this group process provides the sense of support, where all of these attorneys can come together and connect if you're open to the possibility that your life can change, your life can change. be opened-minded to it. it's absolutely transformed my life. i had no anticipation or expectation of that.

here it was about personal development. here it was an openness, it was...this is really so that you can heal, so that you can go out and help other people, uhm, by doing your job right. i had no idea that some very essentially simple changes in one's life in terms of becoming sober, and not engaging in repeatably negative behaviors, could result in such amazingly positive consequence. and it took the lawyer's assistance program for me to do that. today i have ah, 7 years, ah, 1 month ah,

5 days and 6 hours of sobriety. i can't even describe the feeling when we see a participant graduate. it's the most fulfilling uh, better than any drug. to, to see someone who came in here broken, scared, uh, no where to turn. their family has left them the state bar is ready to revoke their license, turn around now they're functioning again in society. they're back with their family. they're a successful attorney again.

they've made a whole network of friends again. ah, in the lawyer community, and their life is going to change. i think that anybody who wants to improve their life should come here, that they should give it a chance and they should try this because it is an incredible program. i think it works fabulously. yeah. ♪