Counseling
Florida Lawyers Helpline
833-351-9355
This free and completely confidential service connects members with professional counselors. Calls are always free. You may be referred for up to five free counseling sessions per year to help you develop strategies to overcome life’s challenges, balance priorities, and better handle both personal and professional pressures.
Florida Lawyers Helpline is provided through an agreement with CorpCare Associates Inc., which has over 200 professional counselors across Florida and 11,000 nationwide. The Helpline’s aim and purpose is improving the practice of law in Florida by helping Florida lawyers.
Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc.
FLA provides programs and services to assist attorneys, judges, law students, and other legal professionals who may be impaired in their ability to function in a legal setting. The backbone of FLA is a support network of recovering attorneys and judges who wish to carry the message to fellow members of their profession that recovery is possible. FLA also offers help to those suffering from depression and other mental illnesses.
Mental Health and Wellness Organizations
This comprehensive listing of state, national and online mental health and wellness resources was compiled by Attorney Mental Health Education, Inc.
Florida
Broward County-Fort Lauderdale-24 Hour Suicide/Mental Health Hotline
954-537-0211
Dade County-Switchboard of Miami – 24 Hour Crisis/Suicide Prevention
305-358-HELP (4357)
Florida Lawyers Helpline
833-FL1-WELL
Florida Lawyers Assistance Inc.
954-566-9040
Miami Dade Homeless Trust
305-375-CARE (2273)
Miami Rescue Women
305-571-2250
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Florida
South Florida Behavioral Health Network
South Florida Behavioral Health Network-Miami Dade & Monroe County Mental Health & Drug Treatment
305-858-3335
National
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
212-870-3400
Cocaine Anonymous (CA)
310-559-5833
Debtors Anonymous (DA)
800-421-2383
Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
818-773-9999
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233
National Helpline For Judges Helping Judges
1-800-219-6474
National Hopeline Network
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255) 24/7
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for Deaf & Hard of Hearing
1-800-799-4889
Online
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Crisis Text Line – Text HOME to 741741
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Chat
National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being
Psychology Today Find A Therapist
Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration Treatment Locator
Continuing Legal Education Videos & Podcasts
The Florida Bar produces free health and wellness webinars, videos and podcasts, many of which are eligible for continuing legal education credit. Here is just a sampling of what’s available.
Florida Bar Practice Resource Center: LegalFuel
LegalFuel offers a variety of free CLE in various formats that count toward the Mental Health and Wellness credit.
Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism
The Bar’s Center for Professionalism has produced a free, three-part CLE series focused on helping lawyers maintain work-life balance.
- Session One — Lunch and Learn with Justice Alan Lawson
- Session Two — Preventing the Other Pandemic: Lawyer Suicide Awareness and Tools for Prevention
- Session Three — Three Giant Steps Inside to Health, Happiness & Success in the Law
Young Lawyers Division Health & Wellness Video Series
The Young Lawyers Division hosts live webinars throughout the year, and many happen during the month of May. The webinars are FREE and may help you earn continuing legal education credits.
#StigmaFreeYLD Campaign
The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division launched the #StigmaFreeYLD campaign to help end the stigma over mental health and illness in our profession. The campaign website includes the stories of attorneys who have struggled with mental illness but have gone on to build successful practices and find joy in their lives by taking action to seek help.
Substance Use and Mental Health Toolkit for Law School Students and Those Who Care About Them
This toolkit is a collaborative effort of the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division and the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. It was created by hundreds of individuals around the country to provide pre-law advisors, law school administrators, counseling personnel, faculty, students, student leaders, and lawyer assistance programs with a user-friendly resource to deal with mental health and substance use within your respective schools.
Well-being Toolkit for Lawyers and Legal Employers
Developed by Anne Brafford for the American Bar Association.
80 Tips for Lawyer Thriving
Developed by the American Bar Association’s Presidential Working Group to Advance WellBeing in the Legal Profession.
Here you’ll find news from The Florida Bar News and Journal, research, and state and national articles.
Articles From The Florida Bar News
Meditations & Self-Assessment
Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center: Scripts vary from five to 19 minutes (free for download and also available in Spanish).
Dartmouth: Audio recording of a 10-minute relaxation & mindfulness practice (free for download).
What Makes Lawyers Happy? (Personal Assessment)
Suggested Reading
These can be used for member or book club discussions:
Mental Health and Wellness: Destigmatizing the Discussion and Promoting Solutions, January 2018 Florida Bar Journal (articles by various authors)
Positive Professionals: Creating High-Performing Profitable Firms Through the Science of Engagement by Anne Brafford
Lost Found & Rewired: Mind Tools to Shift you from Stressed and Frazzled to Calm and Vital by Cynthia Dougherty, Ph.D.
Life Your Way: Refresh Your Approach to Success and Breathe Easier in a Fast-Paced World by Amy Wood, Psy.D.
50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More. Stress Less. Be Awesome by Nora Riva Bergman
Beyond Smart: Lawyering with Emotional Intelligence by Ronda Muir
The Healing Power of Breath: Simple Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety. Enhance Concentration. and Balance Your Emotions by Richard P. Brown MD and Patricia L. Gerbarg, M.D.
The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar. Booze. Blow and Redemption by Brian Cuban
Feeling the Heat: An Interrogation of the Soul by John B. Contini
Girl Walks Out of a Bar: A Memoir by Lisa Smith
Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Wherever You Go. There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Research
2014 Comprehensive Survey of Lawyer Assistance Programs
Building the Positive Law Firm: The Legal Profession at its Best
The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys
Study Indicates Lawyers Struggling with Substance Use and Other Mental Health Issues
National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being 2017 Report
What Makes Lawyers Happy? Transcending the Anecdotes with Data from 6,200 Lawyers
State and National Articles
Jacksonville Daily Record, Mental health: It’s time to be honest about it, March 5, 2020
ABA’s Law Practice Today: Special Issue on Attorney Wellness, August 2018
NYTimes: Yale’s Most Popular Class Ever: Happiness, Jan. 28, 2018
Above The Law: Staying Well In Law School, Aug. 9, 2017
Florida Bar to Create Health and Wellness Programs for Lawyers, July 24, 2017
NYTimes: Lawyer, The Addict, July 15, 2017
ABA Journal: BigLaw tackles mental health issues with on-site programs; is its business model at fault?, June 05, 2017
ABA Journal: Younger lawyers are most at risk for substance abuse and mental health problems, a new study reports, Feb. 6, 2016
CNN: Why are Lawyers Killing Themselves, Jan. 20, 2014
Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee
The Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee was established to implement the 2018-19 Florida Bar Strategic Planning Priority, which focuses on the mental health and wellness of Florida lawyers, and to continue the work started by the Special Committee on Mental Health and Wellness of Florida Lawyers.
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Perkins Law - Brand Protection
5301 N Federal Hwy Ste 110
Boca Raton, FL 33487-4914Office: 561-467-4001
Fax: 561-467-4019
[email protected]
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Levinson & Capuano, LLC
101 NE 3rd Ave Ste 1500
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-1181Office: 954-703-2110
[email protected]
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TA PLLC
1001 Brickell Bay Dr Ste 1812
Miami, FL 33131-4925Office: 305-400-7995
Fax: 305-808-7300
[email protected]
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Old Pinellas County Historic Courthouse
324 S Fort Harrison Ave
Clearwater, FL 33756-5138Office: 727-464-3034
Fax: 727-464-3000
[email protected]
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Atticus, Inc. & Real Life Practice
39650 US Highway 19 N Apt 754
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689-3912Office: 866-662-0993
Cell: 727-278-8113
[email protected]
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155 NW 3rd St
Miami, FL 33128-1738Office: 305-679-1742
[email protected]
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Law Office of Bruce Blitman
12447 Aviles Cir
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418-8993Office: 954-646-1128
Cell: 954-646-1128
Fax: 954-433-7816
[email protected]
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Brathwaite Law, PLLC
401 E Jackson St Ste 2340
Tampa, FL 33602-5226Office: 813-710-2722
Cell: 813-391-6426
Fax: 813-710-2719
[email protected]
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Marshall Dennehey
Landmark Center One, Ste. 550
315 E Robinson St
Orlando, FL 32801-1912Office: 407-420-4380
Cell: 407-420-4380
Fax: 407-839-3008
[email protected]
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Three Thirteen Law, PLLC
5408 Bruton Rd
Plant City, FL 33565-7046Office: 813-530-9849
[email protected]
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Kristie Deblasio
Member
Term: 2025
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17 E Main St Ste 200
Pensacola, FL 32502-5998Office: 850-202-1010
[email protected]
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PO Box 771450
Miami, FL 33177-0025Office: 954-706-9351
[email protected]
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The Winston Law Firm
2924 Davie Rd Ste 201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314-1615Office: 954-475-9666
Fax: 954-475-2279
[email protected]
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Palm Beach County Courthouse
205 N Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach, FL 33401-4522Office: 561-355-3518
Cell: 561-355-3518
[email protected]
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Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
11780 US Highway 1 Ste N500
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33408-3007Office: 561-515-1400
Fax: 561-515-1401
[email protected]
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Katz Siegel & Maple P.L.
PO Box 8823
Coral Springs, FL 33075-8823Office: 727-796-1000
[email protected]
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Coastline Legal, P.A.
PO Box 4154
Ormond Beach, FL 32175-4154Office: 386-295-5701
[email protected]
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Ninth Judicial Circuit
Orange County Juvenile Justice Center
2000 E Michigan St
Orlando, FL 32806-4941Office: 407-836-9441
Fax: 407-835-5236
[email protected]
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FIU College of Law
RDB 2045 Modesto Maidique
Miami, FL 33199-0001Office: 305-348-8346
Cell: 305-348-8346
Fax: 305-284-5063
[email protected]
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St. Thomas University, College of Law
16401 NW 37th Ave
Miami Gardens, FL 33054-6498Office: 305-623-2324
[email protected]
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Bryant Miller Olive, P.A.
400 N Tampa St Ste 1600
Tampa, FL 33602-4723Office: 813-273-6677
Fax: 727-464-4147
[email protected]
Board Certifications:
- City, County and Local Government Law
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Miriam Soler Ramos
701 Brickell Ave Ste 3300
Miami, FL 33131-2898Office: 305-789-7530
Cell: 305-510-5710
Fax: 305-789-7799
[email protected]
Board Certifications:
- City, County and Local Government Law
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Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP
50 N Laura St Ste 2600
Jacksonville, FL 32202-3629Office: 904-598-6157
Cell: 904-318-8894
Fax: 904-598-6257
[email protected]
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State Attorney's Office, 9th Circuit
415 N Orange Ave
Orlando, FL 32801-1526Office: 407-836-2400
[email protected]
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Heuler, Wakeman, Solomon Law Group PLLC
1677 Mahan Center Blvd
Tallahassee, FL 32308-5454Office: 850-421-2400
Fax: 850-421-2403
[email protected]
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Jacksonville University College of Law
121 W Forsyth St
Jacksonville, FL 32202-3841Office: 904-256-8853
[email protected]
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H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research
12902 USF Magnolia Dr MBC-OGC
Tampa, FL 33612-9416Office: 813-745-4673
[email protected]
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Richard E. Gerstein Justice Bldg
1351 NW 12th St Ste 423
Miami, FL 33125-1630Office: 305-548-5721
Fax: 305-548-5649
[email protected]