A Special Forum featuring Lawyers in Recovery
Please
join us for an open and honest discussion regarding the prevalence of substance
use disorder in our profession, which is compounded by the stigma associated
with the disease and help-seeking behaviors. This is a forum open to all --
people in recovery, those struggling with substance use disorder or who question
whether they have a problem themselves, and for all who care about them and the
state of our legal community.
This first-of-its-kind program will include
a diverse panel of lawyers in recovery sharing their experiences — from law
school to practice to sitting on the bench — as well as their stories of
recovery and hope. Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd will
provide opening remarks to highlight the critical importance of this issue to
our courts and community.
Speakers will also include representatives from Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
(LCL), to explain the services available to legal professionals and law students
struggling with issues surrounding substance use disorder, and the Board of Bar
Overseers, to explain how addiction is viewed from the perspective of the
BBO.
There will be a question-and-answer session during which questions
may be posed anonymously. This will be a safe space for people struggling with
substance use issues, as well as for those seeking guidance on how to address
this important issue in their workplaces and at home.
Speakers and panelists include:
- Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd
- Hon. Neil Hourihan, associate justice, Massachusetts
District Court
- Bernardo Cuadra, Esq., assistant attorney general,
Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General
- Eric Gouvin, law professor and dean emeritus, Western
New England School of Law
- Bryn A.D. Kiezulas, Esq., family law attorney, Law
Office of Cheryl Garrity
- Liz Nadzo, Esq., former general counsel, Executive
Office of Public Safety and Security; former deputy legal counsel to Governor
Deval Patrick
- Shawn Healy, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, Lawyers
Concerned for Lawyers
- Joseph Berman, Esq., general counsel, Massachusetts Board of Bar
Overseers
This panel will be moderated by Amanda Rowan, Esq., assistant clerk magistrate at the Middlesex Superior
Court Clerk's Office, who is a former assistant district
attorney.
The Massachusetts Bar Association
is offering this program for free to all attorneys, law students, court personnel and judges. This
program is sponsored by the MBA's Lawyer Well-Being
Committee.
.
NOTE: Anyone wishing to remain anonymous in this
Zoom event may do so. Registration information will not be shared. This event
will not be recorded.
This session will be hosted using Zoom. Registration is required by
9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4, to participate in this program. After you
register with the MBA, please look for an email from MassBar
Education with the Webinar ID and Password. The email will be sent
before the program on May 4.