Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 24, 1994 TAG: 9403240029
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LAURENCE HAMMACK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Several studies have shown that lawyers suffer from alcoholism and substance abuse at nearly twice the national average.
Virginia, like every other state in the nation, recently has established a program - "Lawyers Helping Lawyers" - aimed at the early detection and reporting of alcohol and drug abuse within the profession.
"The idea is that you protect the public by doing that," said William Rakes, a Roanoke lawyer and former president of the Virginia State Bar.
"You don't want lawyers out there who are impaired."
Alcoholism is just one occupational hazard of practicing law, a profession that lawyers say has become more competitive, cutthroat and stressful in recent years.
"The billable hours are very much to blame, when lawyers feel the only way to increase income is to work more hours," Rakes said. "The result is a profession that is tired, overworked and disgruntled.
"There are many more lawyers out there today, so there's much more competition, and that's one thing that increases the pressure."
Roanoke lawyer Tom Meadows, district chairman of the substance abuse committee of the Virginia Bar Association, said the adversarial system of justice can put extreme pressure on lawyers.
"You have a huge level of expectation from your clients, the people who come to you to try to keep from losing what they have or to try to get what they want," he said.
"In a lot of cases, it's do or die. You can either get $5 million or you get zero. That's a lot of pressure."
In many domestic and custody cases, lawyers find themselves in the middle of "the most intimate and heart-wrenching of situations," Meadows said.
"Most of us are pretty poor at leaving all that at the office, so we just carry it with us."
As for denying a problem with alcohol, "Lawyers are trained professionals in defensive arts," he said. "So when you're talking about denial, you're talking about someone who not only can convince everyone else, but someone who can also convince himself."
Lawyers Helping Lawyers is a administered by the Virginia Bar Association. It is a confidential program that offers advice, counseling or other types of assistance for any substance abuse problem. The number is (800) 838-8358.
by CNB