Clients in Crisis – Helping Yourself, Helping Your Clients

Ethics CLE Credit application!

The last few years have disrupted lawyers’ professional and personal lives. Attorneys may feel like their lives seem out of control, yet they are not alone in feeling the effects of a pandemic, economic downturn, or political divisiveness. Clients are affected too. Attorneys must manage their own emotions while simultaneously being sensitive and responsive to their clients. This program will identify normal feelings, reactions, and behaviors, and recognize when they are cause for concern. For some clients, reactions may rise to the level of impairment. Impairment comes in many forms, including substance use, addiction, or other mental impairments. It is not a lawyer’s job to diagnose, yet a lawyer must act accordingly. What is the lawyer’s role, responsibility, and opportunity when working with a potentially impaired client? What if the issue is not with a client but with a colleague? The answers are seldom simple and never easy.

This program will provide an ethical framework as well as practical guidance and resources for lawyers facing these questions.