Washington Lawyer - January/February 2019 - 13

GOVERNMENT & GAVEL
health evaluations for Pennsylvania local, state, and federal judges and their
families. LCL offers an array of free and confidential assistance services, including
paying for mental health evaluations, peer support, free literature and resources,
and access to in-house specialists.
"We have over 40 judges who can serve as peer support," Besden says. "The
therapeutic value of a judge being able to talk to other judges who have been
in their same shoes is without parallel."
In the District of Columbia, judges can get confidential assistance through the
D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP). LAP services are offered to judges,
lawyers, and law students and include mental health and addiction evaluation,
short-term counseling, treatment referrals, and monitoring.
The LAP conducts outreach targeting judges, meeting with them as a group at
retreats and judicial staff meetings. In addition, the LAP offers services tailored
to judges, such as peer support from other judges and in-chambers counseling.
"It is difficult for judges to meet with us in person here at our office, so for most
of the judges we've helped, we've basically made house calls to make it easier
for them," says Denise Perme, LAP manager.
One particular area of stress for judges in the D.C. area, Perme says, is managing
a particularly heavy caseload due to a significant backlog of judicial appointments. The Superior Court of the District of Columbia has 10 judicial vacancies
and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals has two vacancies, one of which
has been open since 2013.
"Right now, there is a significant shortage of judges," Perme says. "This creates
incredibly unreasonable work demands for the sitting judges, compounding
the stress they are under. Being a judge is difficult and isolating as it is, so additional demands with no relief in sight creates a challenging environment for
wellness to take root."

The American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs
offers a national hotline specifically designed for judges who are so concerned
about confidentiality they don't want to talk to anyone in their own jurisdiction.
By calling the hotline, a D.C. judge can "be connected with a judge who is a
lawyer assistance program volunteer in Texas or Indiana or elsewhere about
what is going on and how to get some assistance without the local legal community knowing," says Terry Harrell, chair of the ABA Commission on Lawyer
Assistance Programs.
Finally, some courthouses have been experimenting with mindfulness
programs to help members of the bench and judicial staff cope with stress. The
research division of the NCSC has received a grant to delve into the prevalence
of mindfulness programs for judges across the country.
Says Smith: "We're asking judges, 'How do you deal with judicial stress?'"
Anna Stolley Persky is a regular contributor to the D.C. Bar.

HELP FOR JUDGES
The D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program offers free and confidential mental
health, addiction, and other well-being services for judges, lawyers, and
law students. The confidential phone number is 202-347-3131. You can also
reach the LAP by email at lap@dcbar.org.
The ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs' confidential national
hotline for judges is 1-800-219-6474.

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, May 17, 2019
PRACTICE
A DAY FOR

PRESENTED BY THE

LAWYERS & LAW FIRMS

D.C. BAR

Join us for this annual program sponsored by the Bar's
Practice Management Advisory Service. Don't miss what
over 400 members have already experienced by attending
this full day of seminars and events. Topics include firm
management, technology, ethics, wellness, and business
development. This event features:
Cutting-edge content and experienced speakers;
A showcase of product and service vendors;
■ Networking opportunities;
■ Opportunity for discounted onsite CLE; and
■ Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon reception.
■
■

For more information, visit www.dcbar.org, keyword Practice 360 or email
practice360@dcbar.org with the subject, "P360 updates". For advertising and
sponsorship inquiries, visit https://www.dcbar-mediakit.com/p360/.

https://www.dcbar.org/bar-resources/lawyer-assistance-program/ http://www.dcbar.org https://www.dcbar-mediakit.com/p360/

Washington Lawyer - January/February 2019

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