TIME
Registration: 11:45 a.m.
Seminar: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
COST
$47 - ECBA Members (Judges & Attorneys) and their Paraprofessional Staff
$60 - Non-members
This course has been approved for 1 Hour Ethics CLE Credit
SEMINAR
If we stop to think about what we look at most during the day, the answer would probably not be our family or friends, nor our clients or colleagues. The most feasible option would be our mobile phone. Smartphones are now our companions for work, social, leisure and even family life. However, excessive use can lead to problems of dependence, addiction and fear. We find ourselves simultaneously connected and alone. Workers today are “never turned off.” Like our mobile phones, we only go on standby at the end of the day as we crawl into bed, exhausted. Gradual, incremental increases in responsibilities, duties, pressures and demands upon lawyers, at home and at work, combined with long work-days and weeks has placed our profession at risk. At some point work may dominate our lives and keep us at a chronically high level of distress; yet we are often unaware that we have lost balance in our lives. Since it doesn’t appear that the “always-on” culture will be switching off any time soon, we need to develop key strategies that can help safeguard our personal life. Recent studies have shown that there has been a dramatic increase in impairment due to alcoholism, addiction and mental health disorders among members of the legal profession. The statistics are compelling and clearly indicate that 1 out of 3 attorneys will likely have a need for substance use or mental health services at some point in their careers. And Technology? What role does it play in perpetuating this public health crisis?
Attorney Quinn will discuss:
- The early warning signs of impairment, with special emphasis on stress, anxiety and trauma, including the mental health impact of technology in the post- COVID-19 world.
- The free services that Lawyers Assistance Programs provide.
- A close look at what barriers exist that prevent lawyers and judges from seeking the help they need and the role that education plays in breaking the stigma and fear associated with addiction and mental illness in the legal profession.
- Wellness strategies that can be used by legal professionals and their families.
- The ethical challenges created by the imposed isolation of the pandemic, including the role technology plays, and it’s possible long- lasting effect on the legal profession.
SPEAKER
Brian S. Quinn, Esq.
Education and Outreach Coordinator
for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of PA, Inc.
Brian S. Quinn, Esquire, is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania who currently serves as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc., a Lawyers Assistance Program established in 1988 for the purpose of helping lawyers, judges and law students recover from alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health disorders. Atty. Quinn obtained his undergraduate degree in 1970, his law degree in 1973 and a certificate in Drug and Alcohol counseling in 2012, from Villanova University. A member of the Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations, he has been a private practitioner for over 40 years, having litigated both civil and criminal matters during his career. Atty. Quinn also worked in the field of alcohol and drug counseling in suburban Philadelphia from 2011 to 2017, allowing him to gain both practical and clinical experience with individuals suffering from alcohol, substance use and mental health disorders. Atty. Quinn is a past member of the Board of Directors of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania and served as a peer volunteer for over six years prior to accepting his current role as the organization’s Educator in 2017. He has written articles and made presentations on many lawyer wellness topics to law firms, Bar Associations, professional organizations and legal education providers on a state, national and international level.
Reservations due to the ECBA office by April 18, 2023.
