On November 28, 2018
WHY I VOLUNTEER – What Being Part of LAP Means
WHY I VOLUNTEER – What Being Part of LAP Means Tracy L. Kepler I have received way more out of my involvement with the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program [IL LAP] than I have ever given. I think a little background might help…it all started way back in 2000. I was a new lawyer at the
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On November 27, 2018
The Building Blocks of Resilience: Growth Mindset (Part 3)
The Building Blocks of Resilience: Growth Mindset (Part 3) I wrote in the first two parts of this series about two foundational elements of resilience: grit and mindfulness. Staying power, passionate pursuit of goals, and mindfulness are essential for any lawyer who hopes to find success in the legal practice. Resilience, however, is not only
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On November 16, 2018
What is PMBR and does it relate to YOU?
By Christine P. Anderson, Director of Probation and Lawyer Deferral Services, Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission Can you believe that over 40% of Illinois solo practitioners do not maintain malpractice insurance? Can you also believe that more than 77% of Illinois solo practitioners do not have a succession plan for their law practices? A
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On October 9, 2018
Mobilizing for a Purpose after a Legal Career “Ends”
First female Presiding Judge of a Cook County district Court in 1992; retiring from the bench in 1999; inspiring and influencing change artistry everyday—meet Sheila Murphy, shifting the paradigm in Illinois by demonstrating the crucial role and purpose of judges and lawyers as lifelong civil servants within the communities we serve. Murphy’s work spans service
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On August 27, 2018
There is No Shame in Asking for Help
Melissa O’Neill, LCSW Director of Clinical Operations, Timberline Knolls Stress, in and of itself, is not bad. High-achieving individuals in the law profession often thrive under a modicum of pressure; however, too much of any good thing is, in fact, too much. Most people know of the dangers involved with maladaptive coping strategies such as
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On July 30, 2018
Strategically Approach CLE’s – Give Yourself the Gift of Learning
Megan Moore, Director of Programs, Illinois Institute of Continuing Education Let’s go back in time for a moment to your elementary school days. Remember when the teacher wheeled in a tall cart with a television or a reel-to-reel projector (depending on your age)? Remember when someone came into the classroom to talk to you about
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On July 6, 2018
LAP Annual Training a Success
With over 300 people in attendance the 2018 LAP Annual Training is a continued success. The day’s programming was simulcasted between two locations, Carbondale and Chicago, Illinois. The day’s agenda covers important and timely topics for our legal community such as: identifying mental health and substance abuse disorders amongst colleagues; confidentiality and immunity; managing difficult
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On July 5, 2018
Book Review: The Center Cannot Hold, A Counselor’s Memoir
Book Review by Charles D. Mockbee IV Saks, Elyn R., The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness, Hachette Books, 2015. Attorneys have long been referred to in many ways: lawyer, advocate, counselor. Elyn R. Saks’ book details her voyage to becoming an attorney and captures her diagnosis of schizophrenia through vivid recollections from her
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On June 21, 2018
The Building Blocks of Resilience: Mindfulness (Part 2)
I wrote in the first part of this series about how one of the true foundational elements of resilience is grit. Staying power, passionate pursuit and deliberate practice and effort are essential for any lawyer who hopes to find success in the legal practice. Resilience, however, is not only about the ability to bounce back
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On April 11, 2018
“A Profession in Crisis – We Stepping up to the Plate for our Colleagues Recognizing, Understanding, and Referring a Colleague in Need”
As lawyers, we are a vulnerable population. Recent studies have confirmed that the overwhelming stress that is commonplace in our legal profession disproportionately results in attorneys suffering levels of depression, anxiety, addiction, and other serious issues at rates much higher than those seen in the general population.[1] Statistics collected by the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program,
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