Law students and State Bar applicants are eligible for all the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) services. You can access free presentations, short-term counseling, and longer-term support groups.
The LAP hosts free, 30- or 45-minute virtual or in-person presentations on wellness strategies for law students. Topics include addressing substance use and mental health issues that can impair the ability to prepare for a career in law. These presentations are appropriate for:
To schedule a presentation, please complete a request form.
“Too often we don’t think about all the parts enabling students to enter the profession, including moral character issues and stresses that lead to substance abuse and mental distress. [This] presentation delivered important messages to our students - especially the message to seek help before a problem becomes a bigger problem.” —Law School Professor
The State Bar provides free, short-term counseling for those who need help with a difficult personal problem or career transition. You can access up to two free one-on-one counseling sessions with a local therapist who specializes in working with legal professionals around any personal issue or concern impacting work productivity—stress, burnout, depression, career concerns, or relationship issues.
“At the intake I expected that I was going to be judged before I walked in the door, but the case manager was spectacular.” —LAP Participant
You can access up to two free sessions with a career counselor experienced in working with newly licensed and provisionally licensed attorneys who are looking for work and developing their careers.
“The experience was necessary for me to have guidance through a very transitional period in my life, where I had to really examine what I was doing with myself.” —LAP Participant
For information on short-term counseling services, please complete this form or call 800-341-0572.
After several months of monitored participation in the LAP, State Bar applicants can request that the LAP provide documentation (also known as an insight letter) regarding the applicant’s substance use or mental health issue that can be submitted to the Office of Admissions for use in the moral character determination process.
For more information, complete this form, give us a call (877-LAP-4HELP or 877-527-4435), or send an email to LAP@calbar.ca.gov. Contacting us is confidential.