Law is a demanding field, and attorneys demand even more of themselves. Attorneys often turn to substances to escape from daily problems and cope with their enormous workload. In this webinar, we will explore addiction in the legal profession. Why lawyers suffer at significantly greater rates than the general public and what the profession should be doing to address the problem.

1. The Addicted Lawyer: How We Got Here,
How to Solve It
#AddictedLawyer

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

5. About our presenter
‣ Brian is a 1986 graduate of the University Of Pittsburgh
School of Law and licensed in the State of Texas.
‣ He is in long term recovery from alcohol and drug (cocaine)
addiction as well as the eating disorder, bulimia, with a
sobriety date of April 8th 2007.
‣ Brian’s journey through addiction took him through clinical
depression, suicidal thoughts, a psychiatric facility, three
failed marriages and a crumbling law practice.
‣ Brian speaks regularly and has written extensively on
addiction and recovery. He currently serves on the board of
directors of the advocacy group, Young People In Recovery.
His columns have been published online and in newspapers
around the world. He currently has a weekly column covering
the topic of addiction on Above The Law.
‣ Brian’s new book, “The Addicted Lawyer, Tales Of The Bar,
Booze, Blow & Redemption” is set for May release by Post
Hill Press.
5
PHOTO

6. THE INSANITY OF ADDICTION
6

7. HOW DID I BECOME AN
ADDICTED LAWYER?
7

8. HOW IT AFFECTED MY LAW
PRACTICE
8

9. HOW I RECOVERED
9

10. Poll Slide #1
Do You Know An Attorney Struggling With Alcohol or Drug Use?
10
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not Sure

11. ABA/BETTY FORD HAZELDEN STUDY (2016)
*courtesy of Patrick Krill Esquire
12,825 licensed, employed attorneys & judges
Males = 53.4%
Females = 46.5%
Transgender = .1%
Diversity of race
Asian 1.2%
Black/African American 2.5%
Caucasian/White 90.9%
Latino/Hispanic 2.6%
Native American .3%
Other .7%
Missing .5%
11

12. ABA/BETTY FORD HAZELDEN STUDY (2016)
12

13. ABA/BETTY FORD HAZELDEN STUDY
(2016)
13
22.6% felt their use of alcohol or substances was a problem
sometime during their lives
27.6% reported problematic use prior to law school
14.2% reported problematic use started during law school
43.7 % reported problematic use started within the first 15 years
following law school
14.5% reported problematic use started more than 15 years after law
school.

14. Poll Slide #2
How Likely Would You Be To Utilize Your State’s
Lawyer’s Assistance Program(LAP)?
14
A. Very likely
B. Somewhat
C. Not a chance

15. Poll Slide #3
Do You Believe There Is A Drinking Culture In The Legal Profession?
15
A. Definitely
B. Somewhat
C. Not At All
D. Not Sure

16. CHANGING THE CULTURE
16

17. DEALING WITH FEAR (Stigma)
17

18. BEING VULNERABLE
18

19. GETTING HELP BEFORE YOU’RE
FORCED TO
19
1.http://www.americanbar.org/groups/lawy
er_assistance.html
2.http://www.aa.org/
3.http://www.smartrecovery.org/
4.http://www.celebraterecovery.com/

20. Presenter contact info:
www.briancuban.com
brian@addictedlawyer.com
@bcuban on Twitter
MyCase
www.MyCase.com
support@mycase.com
800-571-8062
Contact Us
20

21. Thank you
21