Mental Health

Firm has to face suit accusing it of violating patient confidentiality laws by touting med-mal win

A law firm will have to face a lawsuit claiming that it violated confidentiality laws when it disclosed mental health records about its lawyer client when touting a win in his medical-malpractice case, according to an Illinois appeals court.

Oct 11, 2022 8:51 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS justice’s wife stands by stolen-election views; district attorney’s daughter arrested in his stabbing

Ginni Thomas tells Jan. 6 committee about her stolen-election views Conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack that she still thinks that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, according to the committee’s chair, Democratic U.S.…

Sep 30, 2022 3:13 PM CDT

Summer associates praise their ‘lifestyle firms,’ even as some midlevels describe them as ‘veritable sweatshops’

Summer associates liked their law firm experience this year, as they insisted that their workplaces were different—in a good way.

Sep 29, 2022 2:59 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: ABA supports marriage equality law; Stanford offers new model for legal ed loans

ABA president calls on Senate to support Respect for Marriage Act ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross is calling on members of the U.S. Senate to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed with significant bipartisan support in July. In a letter sent to senators…

Sep 16, 2022 3:03 PM CDT

Lawyer is still entitled to disability benefits for depression linked to law practice, 6th Circuit rules

A former Traverse City, Michigan, personal injury lawyer is entitled to continued monthly payments under his disability insurance policy because of evidence that his recurrent depression makes him unable to work as a trial attorney, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 13, 2022 9:49 AM CDT

Unbroken: A call for psychiatric disability initiatives in the legal profession

So many of us struggle in silence while striving for excellence, when only a helping hand and understanding—not only from family and friends but also from colleagues and those with leading positions in law firms—could guide our way to attain success as humans and as professionals.

Aug 25, 2022 8:45 AM CDT

New York attorney general’s actions over rape case are ‘a sinister abuse,’ dissenting judge says

In a scathing dissent, a federal appellate judge admonished the New York attorney general’s office for defending a conviction in a 2009 rape case.

Aug 22, 2022 11:51 AM CDT

What makes associates happy? Partners and billable-hour expectations are key

On some measures, midlevel associate satisfaction is about the same as—or slightly better than—last year.

Aug 4, 2022 11:12 AM CDT

Lawyer disbarred with espionage conviction shouldn’t regain law license, ethics panel says

A lawyer disbarred because of an espionage conviction shouldn’t be reinstated to law practice because she hasn’t proven that she can be trusted or that her mental health issues have been resolved, a hearing panel has concluded.

Aug 4, 2022 8:38 AM CDT

Psychedelic Rx: Legal battles aim to expand patients’ access to psilocybin and other hallucinogens

While Indigenous communities have long integrated plant-based psychedelics such as peyote and ayahuasca into their spiritual practices, interest in using both natural and synthetic hallucinogenic substances to alleviate depression and anxiety as well as anorexia, substance use disorder and other mental health conditions has increased in recent decades.

Aug 1, 2022 3:00 AM CDT

10 tips for lawyers to establish self-confidence and client compassion

Check out some tips to establish yourself as a competent and compassionate lawyer to potential clients, from North Carolina lawyer James Gray Robinson.

Jul 19, 2022 10:25 AM CDT

Only half of class of 2018 law grads practice in law firms, NALP report finds

Ninety-seven percent of surveyed law graduates from the class of 2018 were employed, but only 51% were working in law firms, according to a joint study by the National Association for Law Placement and the NALP Foundation.

Jun 28, 2022 1:12 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Fish definition includes bees, court says; judge decries ‘fair-weather originalism’

Bees can sometimes be considered fish, court says Bees can be protected under the California Endangered Species Act because they are invertebrates within the law’s definition of fish, the California Third District Court of Appeal ruled May 31. The law defines fish as “a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian…

Jun 10, 2022 11:56 AM CDT

Pro-Trump lawyer’s challenge to bar’s mental exam order can’t be heard by federal courts, 11th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a pro-Trump lawyer’s lawsuit contending that the State Bar of Georgia violated his constitutional rights when it ordered him to take a mental health exam.

Jun 1, 2022 3:06 PM CDT

11th Circuit rules against lawyer disbarred for failing to comply with mental health requirements of conditional bar admission

A federal appeals court has ruled against a Florida lawyer who challenged her disbarment for failing to comply with mental health requirements of her conditional admission to the bar.

May 27, 2022 9:34 AM CDT