Call: Counseling Sessions

Attorneys may call
1-(855)-321-4384, 24 hours a day/seven days a week and get referred to a counselor in their area for help with any issue that diminishes their productivity and/or quality of life.


All Bar members can get up to five free sessions a year. 

Lawyers Helping Lawyers Contact Information

Beth Padgett, 803-240-6526.
 

Commission Members

Hear from your peers

Watch these videos about the importance of lawyer wellness

Welcome to Lawyers Helping Lawyers.

A member benefit of the South Carolina Bar, this program is available to all lawyers, judges and law students experiencing challenges with substance use disorders, mental health illnesses and/or stress-related issues that affect their professional and personal lives. No matter what you’re going through, Lawyers Helping Lawyers is here to help. 

Why does Lawyers Helping Lawyers exist?

It’s no secret that law students and lawyers face stressful circumstances on a regular basis. You or others may have high expectations for success and self-sufficiency or concern for clients and time management. These challenges too often create an environment in which substance use disorders and other mental illnesses and emotional issues can develop. Lawyers Helping Lawyers exists to help you reduce the pain and loss that result from struggles with alcohol, other drugs and mental and emotional illnesses.

  •  In the 2016 study conducted by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation more than 20% of lawyers and judges reported problematic alcohol use.
  • In the same report, 28% of respondents experienced depression.
  • Participants reported that attorneys in the first decade of practice experience the highest rates of problematic alcohol use.

How Lawyers Helping Lawyers can help

Lawyers Helping Lawyers provides:

  • Referral to appropriate treatment services;
  • Peer support;
  • Five free counseling sessions each year;
  • Mental health and wellness CLEs;
  • Law student assistance through scheduled office hours and mindfulness sessions at both in-state law schools;
  • Interviews, evaluations, and case management for bar applicants under Character and Fitness review;
  • Oversees court-mandated monitoring for lawyers involved with Office of Disciplinary Counsel
  • Monitors lawyers at the request of employers when appropriate and for lawyers who want to enhance their success in early recovery through added accountability

Free counseling sessions for all members

The SC Bar Lawyers Helping Lawyers program offers all members up to five free counseling sessions per year. Attorneys may call 1-(855)-321-4384, 24 hours a day/seven days a week and get referred to a counselor in their area for help with any issue that diminishes their productivity and/or quality of life. The counselors providing these services are credentialed and trained to understand issues related to the legal profession. This service is strictly confidential.  Inquires, information or files received or maintained by the LHL shall remain confidential.  Rule 8.3 (d), Rule 407, SCACR. 

 

    Identifying a problem

    It’s crucial to identify a substance use disorder or other mental illness as early as possible. This can be difficult because we often do not know the signs and symptoms and because lawyers can be very good at masking their problems. If you have a suspicion that something is wrong with a colleague (or yourself) but don’t know how to address the issue, please call LHL for help. Our team can give you information without your needing to identify yourself or your colleague. For more resources, view our Lawyers Helping Lawyers Resources page.

    Get in touch

    When you call Lawyers Helping Lawyers, you will talk with a person who can relate to your experience and direct you to the appropriate service to help you deal effectively with your particular challenges. Contact the Lawyers Helping Lawyers team at 866-545-9590 for more information about LHL services, or contact Beth Padgett. Her information is below.

    • Beth Padgett: (803) 240-6526 (cell); (803) 576-3801 (office)

    Other Resources

    For those who have an alcohol use disorder, abstinence is the only path to ensure continued health. Call us if you need help immediately.

    If you do not have a disorder bur are finding yourself tempted to drink more (in quantity or frequency) due to stress, anxiety, or boredom see Rethinking Drinking from the National Institutes of Health.

    Recovery support

    Virtual Recovery Resources from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

    Mental health resources for the legal profession

    Comprehensive list of resources from from the American Bar Association 

    Stress, anxiety, and depression during COVID-19

    Mindfulness and other strategies

    Sample Call for Counseling Services

    Listen to an example of a call to the counseling services 24 hour line. 

    Call: Counseling Sessions

    Attorneys may call
    1-(855)-321-4384, 24 hours a day/seven days a week and get referred to a counselor in their area for help with any issue that diminishes their productivity and/or quality of life.


    All Bar members can get up to five free sessions a year. 

    Lawyers Helping Lawyers Contact Information

    Beth Padgett, 803-240-6526.
     

    Commission Members

    Hear from your peers

    Watch these videos about the importance of lawyer wellness