News of a severe medical diagnosis like a stroke, heart attack or cancer is daunting enough. Add to it the challenge of running a law practice which includes meeting the needs of clients, the courts and keeping the lights on, and it can be overwhelming.
New Jersey State Bar Association President John E. Keefe Jr., a cancer survivor, knows exactly how difficult it can be to balance the needs of running a practice and firm at the same time as caring for health needs and a family. That’s why he launched the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Task Force with a mission to find ways to help lawyers in times of crisis.
Today, the NJSBA launched an online resource center to help attorneys navigating the difficult journey of a medical crisis.
“The New Jersey State Bar Association is here to help. We know all too well how scary that can be on a personal and professional level. We want to be a resource for attorneys who find themselves in that harrowing state. We have assembled resources and guidance and will continue working with organized bars around the state to ensure there is a safety net for our brothers and sisters who find themselves in need,” said Keefe.
ONLINE PORTAL LAUNCHED
The Lawyers Helping Lawyers portal can be found at njsba.com.
It has tools that will help attorneys plan ahead. A preparedness checklist aims to assist all lawyers, especially those in solo and small firms, in organizing a few documents, like a list of active clients, important deadlines and a list of passwords, and identifying a colleague who can be counted on to step in and help.
It has sample letters that an attorney can personalize to send to clients, colleagues and even the courts, if a medical issue comes up that will prevent them from practicing for a time. And it also features personal stories of several attorneys who have experienced their own medical crisis or have worked closely with a colleague and share their insights.
The portal also serves as a way to reach out for help. Lawyers facing medical issues can email [email protected] and the association will work to help connect the attorney with a network of assistance.
NEXT STEPS
The portal was one of several recommendations of the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Task Force.
It was comprised of attorneys and judges who have experienced medical crisis, either personally or as a colleague. The task force spent a year examining the ways the legal community can provide assistance to attorneys facing acute medical crises that require them to temporarily step back from the practice of law. That work has included examining the issues that affect litigators, transactional attorneys, the courts and bar associations. It conducted extensive nationwide research to learn how bar associations and court systems around the country address the issues. The NJSBA’s Board of Trustees adopted the task force’s report and vowed to work to implement the recommendations it made.
Key among the recommendations was creating a portal on the association’s website. Others included working with the courts to urge attorneys each year when they complete the annual registration to designate a colleague who could help in times of need. NJSBA 2019-2020 President Evelyn Padin said she will keep the task force going so that it can find more ways to help lawyers. In the coming year, the association wants to work with county and affinity bar associations to establish procedures or create a roster of attorneys in various specialties who may be willing to provide temporary assistance to a colleague since these are the entities that most attorneys and local courts will turn to first when crisis hits.
“This has been an extraordinary two years in my life. This opportunity to serve New Jersey's lawyers, to give back, has been balm for my soul. I love lawyers. I love being a lawyer. And I love to think that I have helped lawyers,” Keefe said.