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.
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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.