Bench & Bar July/August 2025

BAR NEWS

NEW RESEARCH PROJECT ON LAWYER MENTAL HEALTH IF YOU RECEIVE THE SURVEY, PLEASE FILL IT OUT

The Kentucky Bar Association is participating in a new, national research project on lawyer mental health, substance use and related issues. This research will be conducted by more than 30 state bars disseminating an anonymous and confidential survey to a random sample of their lawyers. You may receive an invitation to participate anonymously in the survey. Given substantial shifts in the legal pro fession over the past decade, including significant changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, an updated national assessment of mental health and substance use among attorneys is critically

HONESTLY AND RETURN IT. Your answers are 100% anon ymous and participants are unidentifiable. The results will help Kentucky shape policy and programs to help more Kentucky lawyers achieve and maintain good mental health.

needed. This study will provide a 10-year update to the landmark 2016 ABA-Ha zelden Betty Ford study, offering essential insights into current trends, attitudes, and barriers to mental health and well-being in law.

In addition to updating and building upon the 2016 study, this survey will include methodological enhancements and reach a much wider cross section of our lawyer population. The research is expected to provide a statistically reliable picture of the current mental health and well-being climate in the legal profession, necessary information which is

highly germane to the practice of law and vital to effective policy formation at the state and national level. The research will allow state bars and regulators to improve outcomes, mitigate impairment risk, and increase public trust and confidence in our legal system.

@KyBarNews

@Kentucky Bar Association

@Kentucky Bar Association

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