CALIFORNIA LEGAL COMMUNITY
Support resources for California attorneys and legal professionals.
SUPPORT & ASSISTANCE
Confidential assistance programs, professional wellness committees, and crisis services available to attorneys, judges, and legal professionals throughout California.
Confidentiality Assurance
California Business & Professions Code § 6234 strictly safeguards the confidentiality of participants in approved lawyer assistance programs.
Free, confidential assessments, short-term counseling (including two free one-on-one sessions), support groups, and career counseling for attorneys, law students, and bar applicants. Confidentiality protected under Business and Professions Code section 6234.
Events, webinars, and resources focused on the well-being of legal professionals.
Confidential peer support for California lawyers, judges, law students, and bar applicants. Available 24/7.
RECENT RESEARCH
In September 2026, the American Bar Association's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and Krill Strategies released what the ABA describes as the largest study of lawyer mental health ever conducted — nearly 37,000 actively licensed lawyers across 28 jurisdictions. Titled When Demands Equal Distress, it updates the 2016 Krill benchmark, and the findings are sobering:
of lawyers screen at moderate-to-extremely-severe levels of depression
report high burnout, with 15.6% at severe levels
say their time in the legal profession has been detrimental to their mental health
Younger lawyers and litigators face the highest risk; men report higher rates of depression than women
A PRACTITIONER’S PERSPECTIVE
In my experience, the demands of the profession — chronic stress, adversarial environments, long hours, and a culture that rewards stoicism — create conditions where depression can develop and go unaddressed. Having spent 30 years as a corporate attorney before becoming a therapist, I understand these pressures firsthand.
“Depression is a clinical condition, not a professional shortcoming, and effective treatments exist.”
My practice offers confidential, evidence-based therapy with a practitioner who knows firsthand the realities of legal work.
REFERENCE
Krill, P. R., & Anker, J. J. (2026). When Demands Equal Distress: An Updated Understanding of Lawyer Mental Health and Well-being. Journal of Affective Disorders. Published open access September 2026 in partnership with Krill Strategies and the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.122479
Let's take the first step together.