The Beacon is home to all VJLAP updates, including grants, milestones, legislative changes, and general news.
Alcohol Awareness Month: A Great Time to Explore Your Relationship with Alcohol
April 23, 2022
In our lives, we have a relationship with every variable with which we interact. The relationships with which we are most familiar with are interperso... Read More Mid-Atlantic Women Legal Professionals’ Retreat Wrap Up
March 7, 2022
This past weekend, over 100 women legal professionals convened in Asheville, NC for the first Mid-Atlantic Women Legal Professionals' Retreat. Women j... Read More VJLAP is Hiring a Tidewater Region Manager
March 7, 2022
VJLAP is seeking an individual for a remote-working position to manage VJLAP’s outreach and clinical activities in the Tidewater Region. We hope you... Read More The Lawyer Wellness Challenge is Back and Starts on Monday
March 3, 2022
The 3rd Annual Lawyer Wellness Challenge begins next week!
It is no cost, open to all of Virginia's legal professionals, and a great incentive to bu... Read More Judicial Mentoring Program
February 8, 2022
Yesterday, VJLAP’s Deputy Clinical Director, Barbara Mardigian, and Virginia’s Lawyer Wellness Coordinator from the Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV... Read More The Shortest Day of the Year Doesn’t Have to Feel Like it
December 21, 2021
Winter Solstice? Winter Solitude? Winter Sadness?
Today is the shortest day of the year; the sun rose at 7:55 am and will set at 4:21 pm (with region... Read More In Memoriam: George Hettrick
November 29, 2021
George Harrison Hettrick, 81, an accomplished attorney, a life-long public servant, and a former board member and an ever-lasting friend of the Virgin... Read More Gratitude is Powerful: Especially at Work
November 24, 2021
Gratitude is Powerful: Especially at Work
As we sit and reflect on the past year, the upcoming holidays, and 2022 looming around the corner, it is ... Read More Holiday Wellness Series: Boundaries and Balance (virtual)
November 15, 2021
Looking for others' experience with maintaining professional and personal boundaries? Want to learn tips for establishing or improving yours? Worried ... Read More The Lighthouse Fall 2021 Edition is Here
November 15, 2021
As we all set our clocks back, VJLAP is with you to continue to move forward and thrive as we and the world adapt, adjust, and evolve. In this issue w... Read More VJLAP Annual Retreat Round-Up
November 15, 2021
Thank you to all our attendees, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and the City of Lynchburg for making the 17th Annual VJLAP Fall Retreat such an amaz... Read More Ask VJLAP? “How to Set Healthy Boundaries with Family During the Holidays?”
November 10, 2021
The question: “How do I set and maintain healthy boundaries with toxic family members around holiday events.”
The answer: The best thing to d... Read More Simple Way to Donate to VJLAP – AmazonSmile
November 10, 2021
If you are an Amazon Prime shopper, AmazonSmile is a great way to support VJLAP at no cost to you. If you designate VJLAP as your charitable organizat... Read More VJLAP Board Member Herring Honored
October 27, 2021
On October 19th, VJLAP Board Member, Michael N. Herring was honored as the Virginia Lawyer Weekly’s (VLW’s) 2021 “Leader of the Year.”
Mr. ... Read More A New VJLAP Training Opportunity: Mental Health First Aid
August 25, 2021
Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFA) is an exciting addition to the VJLAP menu of services, a training you and your colleagues should not miss! Thi... Read More The 17th Annual VJLAP Fall Retreat Is Just Weeks Away
August 25, 2021
The VJLAP Fall Retreat will be will be held on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18, 2021 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Join this wellness-buildi... Read More The 2021 Lawyers’ Wellness Challenge Is Back This Year!
June 30, 2021
The Virginia Bar Association's Young Lawyer Division, with VJLAP, the Virginia State Bar's Young Lawyers Conference, and the Virginia Lawyers Wellne... Read More After Party Friday: Focus on Building a Culture of Trust
May 21, 2021
Well-Being Week After Party (May 17-21)
Friday: Culture of Trust (Our work environment is characterized by the shared values of trust, honesty, trans... Read More After Party Thursday: Focusing on Inclusion
May 20, 2021
Well-Being Week After Part (May 17-21)
Thursday: Inclusion (Our organizational members feel supported and valued for their unique, individual traits ... Read More After Party Wednesday: Focusing on Effective Leadership
May 19, 2021
Well-Being Week After Party (May 17-21)
Wednesday: Leadership (Our leaders positively impact organizational members’ well-being through their leade... Read More After Party Tuesday: Focusing on Balance
May 18, 2021
Well-Being Week After Party (May 17-21).
Tuesday's Focus: Balance (Our culture supports members' ability to maintain good health and functioning whil... Read More After Party Monday: Focusing on Recognition and Rewards in the Workplace
May 17, 2021
Well-Being Week After Party (May 17-21).
Monday's focus: Recognition and Rewards (Perceived efforts/contributions are fairly balanced with employer-p... Read More Well-Being Week After Party (May 17-21)
May 17, 2021
Well-Being Week After Party
Supporting the legal community's efforts to build and maintain healthy workplaces.
In the first week of May, we celebr... Read More New Study: Women Lawyers More Stressed, Drinking More Than Men
May 13, 2021
New Study (of nearly 3,000 US lawyers): “Stress, Drink, Leave” found levels of mental health problems and problematic drinking to be high among pr... Read More Well-Being Week In Law Round Up
May 12, 2021
Last week, we celebrated Well-Being Week In Law 2021 (WWIL), as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, together. It was great sharing this week with y... Read More WWIL Friday, Feel Well: Emotional Well-Being
May 7, 2021
Well-Being Week In Law Friday!
Today's focus: Feel Well – Emotional Well-Being
Valuing emotions. Developing an ability to identify and manage emot... Read More WWIL Thursday, Connect: Social Well-Being
May 6, 2021
Well-Being Week In Law (WWIL) Thursday!
Today’s focus is: Connect – Social Well-Being
Social wellness focuses on building and nurturing meaningf... Read More WWIL Wednesday, Engage and Grow: Career and Intellectual Well-Being
May 5, 2021
Well-Being Week In Law (WWIL) Wednesday!
Today’s focus is: Engage and Grow - Career and Intellectual Well-Being
Seeking personal satisfaction, con... Read More WWIL Tuesday, Align: Spiritual Well-Being
May 4, 2021
Well-Being Week In Law (WWIL) Tuesday!
Today's focus is: Align - Spiritual Well-Being
Cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose in work and life. A... Read More WWIL Monday, Stay Strong: Physical Well-Being
May 3, 2021
Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL) Begins Today!
Today's focus is: Stay Strong - Physical Well-Being
Striving for regular activity, good diet and nutriti... Read More Well-Being Week In Law Highlighted in VLW
April 30, 2021
Virginia Lawyers Weekly (VLW) published a post on VJLAP's support of Wellness Week In Law (WWIL).
The article noted the purpose of WWIL is to educa... Read More VJLAP Board Member Insley selected to lead NABCA.
April 28, 2021
VJLAP Board Member J. Neal Insley has been selected to be the next President and CEO of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) whos... Read More Well-Being Week in Law: May 3-7, 2021
April 26, 2021
Next Week, May 3rd - 7th, is Well-Being Week in Law (WWIL).
The aim of WWIL is to raise awareness about mental health and encourage action and innova... Read More Registration is Open for VJLAP’s 2021 Retreat
March 31, 2021
The 17th Annual VJLAP Fall Retreat will be held on September 17-18, 2021 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
We encourage participants to join us in Lynchburg ... Read More All Zoomed Out: Combating Pandemic Zoom Fatigue
March 24, 2021
So many of us spend our days on video conferences… and become exhausted even though we sitting still all day. Last week, VJLAP participated in a W&a... Read More VJLAP CLE on April 8th: Depression and Suicide – How the Legal Profession is Impacted
March 9, 2021
Depression and Suicide: How the Legal Profession is Impacted
Thursday, April 8, 2021 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Registration Required. Register HERE.... Read More VTLA’s Donation is Our Largest Voluntary Contribution
February 24, 2021
We are pleased to announce that The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA) has donated $20,000 to support VJLAP. This contribution will enable us t... Read More A Panel of VSB Presidents Address Law Students
February 23, 2021
Yesterday, VJLAP and the Virginia Lawyer’s Wellness Initiative (VLWI) hosted the second in a series of statewide Law School Wellness Forum webinars ... Read More Flexibility with Law Schools is Key – Law School Forums Grow
February 21, 2021
Join the second statewide Law School Wellness Forum: Identifying and Managing the Risks to Wellness in the Practice of Law (An open conversation with ... Read More Judicial Immunity Doesn’t Extend Matters of Stress and Well-Being
February 21, 2021
Judicial immunity does not extend to the mental health and substance use concerns that challenge legal professionals across the country. The ABA recen... Read More VJLAP’s 2020 Intake Rate is Not Higher But Is More Serious
February 20, 2021
The 2020 rate of VJLAP utilization remained the same as the previous year, but the level of distress our clients were experiencing was dramatically mo... Read More Reflections and Hope Series: Tim
February 16, 2021
Tim’s Reflections on 2020 and Wisdom Looking Forward
My family was acutely impacted by the “annus horribilis” that was 2020. My wife lost h... Read More Reflections and Hope Series: Janet
February 12, 2021
Janet's Reflections on 2020 and Wisdom Looking Forward
2020 had a lot of firsts for me. There were the collectively experienced global, political, ... Read More Reflections and Hope Series: Jim
February 8, 2021
Jim’s Reflections on 2020 and Wisdom Looking Forward
The craziness of 2020 had me hoping for 2021 since sometime in May. Looking seven months ahe... Read More Reflections and Hope Series: Barbara
February 5, 2021
Barbara's Reflections on 2020 and Wisdom Looking Forward
I am not alone in stating that 2020 was just beyond words and comprehension. In my profess... Read More Reflections and Hope Series: Angeline
January 27, 2021
Angeline’s Reflections on 2020 and Wisdom Looking Forward
2020 was a very unusual year to say the least. I think about 2020’s potentially histo... Read More Three Weeks Into 2021, Re-resolve To Be Resolute…
January 25, 2021
Some thoughts for 2021.
A few weeks ago we bid a much anticipated farewell to 2020 (and everything that came with it) and toasted to new beginnings... Read More Celebrating a New Year, Together!
January 1, 2021
Whatever the new year has in store, we’ll be in it together. Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2021! As Virginia's legal commu... Read More Protect Your Mental Health During the Holidays, particularly in “Merry Ol’ Covid Times.”
December 16, 2020
The holidays can be a stressful time for most of us, but it can hold extra pitfalls for people who are diagnosed with mental health conditions or have... Read More Experiencing the Holidays, Pandemic-Style
November 23, 2020
“It is okay not to be okay during the holidays.” We hear that from the health and wellness gurus and many of us have to remind ourselves of that e... Read More Meditation, Mindfulness, and Modern Science
November 17, 2020
When you hear the word “meditate,” what comes to mind? Do you think of enlightened ancient monks? New-Age Gurus with crystals? Or do you think of ... Read More Finding the Line: Helping versus Enabling at Work
November 16, 2020
It is human nature to want to support someone we care about. It is also easy for what we see as being helping to actually be hurtful. The line between... Read More Codependency- Fighting Myths with Information
November 9, 2020
There are myths and misconceptions about what codependency is and what it is not. Codependency is not an official mental health diagnosis (it is not a... Read More Finding the Line: Vicarious Trauma and Traumatization
October 30, 2020
Did we know that working in certain employment fields, including the legal profession, poses the threat for experiencing vicarious or secondary trauma... Read More Stories From Our Colleagues: We Must Take Care Of Ourselves and Support Others.
October 15, 2020
This is the third post in the VJLAP series, “Stories From Our Colleagues.” In this story, a judge providing her perspective on Virginia's respon... Read More Suicide Is a Real Threat and Needs to Be Talked About
October 15, 2020
Very few people are comfortable talking about suicide whether they feel like harming themselves, are concerned that a loved one may be considering sel... Read More Stories From Our Colleagues: We may not like what we hear but we may need to hear it.
October 14, 2020
This is the third post in the VJLAP series, “Stories From Our Colleagues” (Stories from legal professionals who have experienced mental health an... Read More One Simple Act at Work Can Make the Day Better for All
October 14, 2020
Partners, supervisors, and all colleagues in the workplace play important roles in improving wellness and supporting healthy mental health practices. ... Read More Stories From Our Colleagues – When Others Expressed Concern, She Opened Her Mind To Help
October 13, 2020
This is the second post in the VJLAP series, “Stories From Our Colleagues” (Stories from legal professionals who have experienced mental health ... Read More The Power of Peers
October 13, 2020
Connection is the key. Peer assistance has been shown to be a powerful tool in improving wellness and outcomes in community mental health and addictio... Read More Stories From Our Colleagues – One Question Made All The Difference
October 12, 2020
In this series, "Stories From Our Colleagues," you will see stories from real people – legal professionals just like you, who have experienced men... Read More Mental Health Prevalence and Awareness
October 12, 2020
World Mental Health Awareness day was 10/10. At VJLAP, we want to maintain the momentum of awareness this week via daily blog posts with information a... Read More Why Are You Drinking Today and What Does that Mean For Tomorrow?
September 12, 2020
Drinking Patterns Today Could Severely Impact Coping Now and After the Pandemic
One thing has remained consistent in 2020, alcohol sales and consum... Read More VJLAP and Wellness In The News
September 8, 2020
Thank you notes, recovery stories, VJLAP Annual (virtual) Retreat updates and more... VJLAP and our wellness partners have received some amazing media... Read More Finding the Line: Stressed or Stressed Out?
August 20, 2020
Where is the line? What is manageable stress? When am I stressed out?
Each of us experience stress in different forms such as a fast-approaching de... Read More Finding the Line: Sad or Depressed?
August 14, 2020
Where is the line? What is sadness? What is depression? When does sadness become problematic? Recognizing the difference between the emotion of sadnes... Read More New S and GA Support Groups Available
August 13, 2020
VJLAP hosts and/or supports numerous support groups: 12-Step Support, Wellness Support, and Women’s Wellness Support. GA and S Support Groups have s... Read More VJLAP’s Annual Retreat: September 17th and 18th (Virtual and Free)
August 6, 2020
Save the Date and Register Now:
The 16th Annual VJLAP Fall Retreat will be held virtually this year on Thursday, September 17th (12:00 pm to 4:00 p... Read More Virginia’s Lawyer Wellness Challenge – June 18-28
June 16, 2020
Please join VJLAP and many of your colleagues in Virginia’s first Lawyer Wellness Challenge, a 10-day series of informational, interactive, and fun ... Read More Reaching Out, Never a Bad Idea
June 11, 2020
The pandemic continues to impact lawyers, sometimes in hidden ways. You are not alone. VJLAP is here. VJLAP remains available to you 24/7 through our ... Read More Lockdown Lethargy. Is this our allostatic loads in overload? Is this our what?
May 19, 2020
Lockdown Lethargy. Pandemic Brain Fog. Time Blindness. COVID Fatigue. Is this our allostatic loads in overload? Is this our what?
Any chance you ar... Read More VJLAP 2020, Virtually Everywhere
May 11, 2020
The VJLAP strategic plan, summed up, is to help every member of the legal profession who seeks assistance with mental health and substance use concern... Read More Clinical Corner (Spring): Trauma and Self-Care
May 11, 2020
Trauma is such an ugly word. It often conjures up feelings and thoughts, maybe the overall eye roll or “ick” feeling, that no one wants to address... Read More Lawyers Well-Being Friday: FEEL WELL
May 8, 2020
Friday Well-Being Focus: Feel Well (emotional well-being)
Emotional Well-Being: Valuing emotions. Developing an ability to identify and manage emot... Read More Lawyers Well-Being Thursday: CONNECT
May 7, 2020
Thursday Focus: Connect - Social Well-Being
Social Well-Being: Building connection, belonging, and a reliable support network. Contributing to our ... Read More Today at Noon: VJLAP and VLWI Free CLE
May 6, 2020
There is still time to register and join today's CLE at noon: "Occupational Well-Being While Social Distancing"
VJLAP, in collaboration with the ... Read More Lawyers Well-Being Wednesday: ENGAGE & GROW
May 6, 2020
Wednesday Focus: Engage and Grow - Career and Intellectual Well-Being
Intellectual Well-Being: Engaging in continuous learning, engaging in creativ... Read More Lawyers Well-Being Tuesday – ALIGN
May 5, 2020
Tuesday's Focus: Align - Spiritual Well-Being
Spiritual Well-Being: A sense of meaningfulness and purpose in work and life. Align your work and lif... Read More Lawyers Well-Being Monday: PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
May 4, 2020
Monday Focus: Stay Strong – Physical Well-Being
Eat well, get enough sleep, recovery from stress. Minimize addictive substances. Seek help when n... Read More The ‘slow burn’ of social distancing – it may be affecting young lawyer disproportionately.
April 30, 2020
Whether it is being required to work from home or go into the office, the pressure to perform remains and is compounded by anxiety about physical well... Read More Unhealthy Coping? Drinking Our Way Through the Pandemic?
April 28, 2020
Home. No routines. Anxious. Stressed. Alone. Why not? More importantly, Why? A few reasons why not.
Studies have shown that (1) alcohol sales have ... Read More May 6th Lawyers’ Well-Being Week – FREE CLE
April 24, 2020
"Occupational Wellness While Social Distancing"
VJLAP, in collaboration with the Virginia Lawyers’ Wellness Initiative, is pleased to present “... Read More Coping with Death While Social Distancing
April 17, 2020
Grieving after the death of a loved one is a natural, painful process that looks and feels different for each person experiencing loss. Societies and ... Read More America is drinking its way through the coronavirus crisis – and that’s no party
April 13, 2020
Below is an article predicting a rise in alcohol use disorders based on trends for increased alcohol purchase during the pandemic:
In the midst of t... Read More Wisdom on the Strength of Recovery
April 7, 2020
Addiction recovery wisdom going happily viral:
We were made to survive this,
We are used to an unseen illness trying to kill us. We live through... Read More Mental health during stressful times…like a pandemic
April 3, 2020
From VJLAP's Deputy Clinical Director: I have become more reflective during this time in 2020, the midst of a pandemic. Which, to be honest, I minimiz... Read More Ongoing Life During Prolonged Crisis?
April 2, 2020
As members of the legal profession, we are used to solving problems and having answers, or at least finding ones with robust support. We are determine... Read More VJLAP ONLINE MEETINGS
March 24, 2020
VJLAP remains available to you 24/7 through our hotline (877.545.4682), and our staff are available on their regional numbers. For social distancing a... Read More Using Online Resources? So many options!
March 23, 2020
With social distancing our current reality, establishing a working virtual support system is paramount; but deciding what that looks like may be overw... Read More Dealing with Anxiety During a Pandemic
March 17, 2020
With new positive tests and victims of the COVID-19 pandemic reported and guidance of what activities are recommended or restricted changing constantl... Read More COVID-19 and Well-Being: VJLAP Remains an Available Resource
March 16, 2020
In this time of constant media reports of new positive cases of COVID-19, closer and closer to home, and urged social distancing, individuals may star... Read More New Study Supports Alcoholics Anonymous as the Most Effective Path to Abstinence
March 12, 2020
A recently published study demonstrates that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is effective in treating alcohol use disorder finding increased rates and lengt... Read More Law Student Well-Being Conference – POSTPONED
March 9, 2020
The 2nd Annual Law Student Well-Being Summit is POSTPONED.
Join Justice William C. Mims, Dean Wendy Purdue, Justin Earley, David Mercer, law studen... Read More “Tea and Talk” at the Appalachian School of Law.
March 2, 2020
Appalachian School of Law is bolstering its wellness campaign by welcoming VJLAP for “Tea and Talk,” open conversation and one-and-one meetings be... Read More JLAPs New Website Gets Props in the Virginia Lawyer.
March 2, 2020
The Virginia Lawyer’s February 2020 issue highlighted VJLAP’s new website, funded by a Virginia Law Foundation grant and launched this past Novemb... Read More In memoriam of Lawrence J. Tracy
February 24, 2020
Last week, we lost a dear friend, LAURENCE J. TRACY, husband, father, strong community member, valued colleague, and long-time supporter of the Virgin... Read More Working to Reduce Stigma: VJLAP Enters the Podcast Arena
February 20, 2020
The Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program's (VJLAP) Clinical Director Jim Leffler (Jim) was Interviewed this week on “Mens Sana: A Motion f... Read More Engage and Grow. Connect. Feel Well. – Lawyer Wellness Resource
February 10, 2020
Lawyer Wellness Resource Website.
The various wellness initiatives reports have found that working in the legal profession has many benefits and an... Read More VJLAP IS FULLY STAFFED!
February 3, 2020
VJLAP is poised for action! The number of individuals helped is directly proportional to the number of staff (more…)... Read More SCV Creates New Wellness Coordinator Position
December 18, 2019
The Supreme Court of Virginia has hired Margaret Hannapel Ogden as a Wellness Coordinator, a new position created in response to the findings of the S... Read More Supreme Court of Virginia Committee on Lawyer Well-Being Report
September 12, 2019
The Supreme Court of Virginia has published the final report of the Committee on Lawyer Well Being.
Read the full report... Read More Ten Warning Signs of Dementia
July 17, 2019
Below is a checklist of common dementia symptoms. If there are several that you answer “yes” to, a doctor should be consulted for a complete exami... Read More VSB President’s Wellness Committee Report
May 23, 2019
On August 14, 2017, a landmark report on attorney well-being was published by the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being (National Task Force). The ... Read More Thank You Virginia Law Foundation!
August 23, 2018
LHL is pleased to announce we have been awarded a 2018 grant by the Virginia law Foundation to improve our outreach and education resources. This wil... Read More American Bar Association Publishes Well-Being Toolkit
August 1, 2018
The ABA has published a great resource, created by Dr. Anne M. Bradford, to assist lawyers and legal employers on their Well-Being journey.
View th... Read More Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being
August 14, 2017
The Task Force was conceptualized and initiated by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP), the National Organization of Bar Counsel ... Read More Attention Amazon Prime shoppers!
July 8, 2017
Amazon Prime shoppers, if you designate VJLAP as your charitable organization, 0.5 of every 1% you purchase will go to Virginia Judges and Lawyers Ass... Read More Study Shows Attorneys Have Substantial Drinking Problems
February 3, 2016
A new, comprehensive 2016 study by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs shows ... Read More