If you’ve ever laughed at a phrase like “Be honest with your therapist, but not so honest that you end up in the Grippy Sock Hotel,” this is the update you’ve been waiting for!
Juggling the obligation to be forthright so you can get the assistance you need without being punished for your honesty isn’t just a danger in therapy, it can also hurt your career. The character and fitness questions have spawned much anxiety and many Reddit threads about how mental health and substance abuse histories could stop law students from getting ahead in their careers, even if they’ve done the hard work of managing their situations. Thankfully, recent changes to the Character Report should ease some of the stress. ABA Journal has coverage:
The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ updates to its standard Character Report Application template used by many jurisdictions significantly changed questions related to mental health and substance abuse that previously put off many law students from receiving help.
…
Now, the applications preamble page encourages applicants to seek help. And in the updated version, two questions relate substance use and mental health, but they focus on potential misconduct in limited time periods before bar admission, and that aligns “with the spirit and law interpreting the Americans With Disabilities Act,” the blog post authors wrote. There is also a question related to drug and alcohol related traffic violations.“These positive changes to character and fitness questions enable us to double down on communicating to our students that they should seek help while in law school without fear that their condition or impairment, in and of itself, will delay admission to the bar,” the blog post authors wrote.
Keeping Law School Accessible When Federal Loans Fall Short
As federal borrowing caps tighten financing options for law students, one organization is stepping in to negotiate the terms they can't secure alone.
This is a step in the right direction. On balance, lawyers have struggled with mental health and drug abuse for decades. Last year, 73% of attorneys and staff said they felt their work environment contributed to mental health issues. Here’s the kicker — that number is progress compared to the prior year’s 79%. As the culture pushes to make it easier for people to get the help that they need, removing unnecessary roadblocks that complicate the process like the old application questions is a much needed change.
NCBE Updates Character Report, Changes Questions Related To Mental Health And Substance Abuse [ABA Journal]
Earlier: Mental Health May Be Improving For Lawyers, But Severe Stressors Remain — And They’re Getting Worse
What Even Is AI ‘Competence’? It Depends.
Takeaways from a Legalweek panel on evolving malpractice risks.
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boat builder who is learning to swim and is interested in rhetoric, Spinozists and humor. Getting back in to cycling wouldn’t hurt either. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by Tweet/Bluesky at @WritesForRent.