President's Page

Honorable James Wexstten, President

Mt. Vernon, Illinois

As we begin our 32nd year, I am humbled and honored to serve as President of LAP. We have important work to do and the challenges are more complex than ever.

As amply pointed out by our Executive Director, Janet Piper Voss, for the past three years we have seen more attorneys suffering from psychological problems, most prevalently the issue of depression, than chemical dependency and chemical abuse combined.

The past year also saw a startling increase in the number of law students coming to LAP. In the recent past, five percent of our new cases have been law students; in 2011, it jumped significantly to 16 percent.

As I prepare to serve in the coming year, I feel it is important that we reflect on the purpose for which LAP was organized and where we are headed in the future. As stated in our Articles of Incorporation in 1980, we are “to aid and assist lawyers and judges in Illinois, and their respective families, with emotional and chemical dependency problems, such as alcohol and drugs, which affect their professional performance.” As we face new challenges, our “mission” is: (1) to protect clients from impaired lawyers and judges; (2) to help lawyers, judges, and law students with alcohol, drug or mental health problems; and (3) to educate the legal community about these issues.

LAP works. During the past nine years, the number of self referrals – individuals who recognize their problem and call LAP for assistance – gradually increased and reached 70 percent in 2008-2009. In 2010, the number dropped to 53 percent.

Beginning in December 2011, we began a new support group to help women lawyers. Some of LAP’s existing female clients expressed an interest in having their own support group. Robin Belleau, LAP’s clinical director, will supervise the support group program and Larry Scanlon, LAP’s clinical case manager, will serve as its facilitator.

Being a “downstater,” I look forward to working with our Associate Director, Jim Radcliffe, who is in Belleville, Illinois. Jim served on the bench in St. Clair County for 20 years before retiring in 2007. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of LAP. As he points out, our downstate number of clients has increased significantly from about five percent of LAP’s total number of clients to about 15 percent.

Our work is important and I am committed to giving it my best efforts. Your input, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.