Aug. 5, 2006 – Since the beginning of this year, the OBA has lost a member a month to suicide. The Board of Governors is working to assist lawyers in trouble and recently began offering up to six hours of crisis intervention counseling for attorneys experiencing emotional or stress-related issues.

OBA President William R. Grimm of Tulsa said, “Emotional or substance abuse problems in the legal profession affect everyone. When a lawyer’s practice is impaired, other lawyers as well as clients ultimately pay the price. Early intervention is good business because it’s good for the legal profession and good for the public.”

The OBA is providing this service to its members at no cost. Lawyers using the service will remain completely anonymous. OBA members may call LifeFocus Counseling Services directly at (405) 840-5252 or toll-free (866) 726-5252 to be referred to a counselor in their area. The service is available 24 hours a day.

The OBA also assists its members through Lawyers Helping Lawyers, a peer-to-peer program for OBA members who are primarily dealing with alcohol or substance abuse issues. Lawyers in need of assistance with these issues may call (800) 364-7886. Calls to this number are also strictly confidential.

Lawyers who do not feel comfortable speaking with peers about alcohol or substance abuse problems are encouraged to seek help with those issues using the LifeFocus professional counselors.

The association is also beginning a fundraising campaign for the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Foundation. The bar hopes to raise $50,000 in support of that program. Additionally, the OBA’s Work/Life Balance Committee is dedicated to helping resolve some of the underlying work-related problems that may be causing attorneys to become overwhelmed by stress.

Another way the OBA will address mental health issues is through continuing legal education. The OBA CLE department is offering a series of mental health-related seminars for CLE credit, and the MCLE department is approving more and more of this type of education for credit.

President Grimm said, “We are looking in all directions for indicators to get a better understanding of the cause of these problems. We care about our peers and colleagues, but we must also look out for the public whose lives can be adversely affected by a lawyer in crisis.”