Promoting the Well-Being of Legal Professionals: A Spotlight on BarCARES
Judge Lucy Inman serves as the president of the NCBA BarCARES Committee.
Credit: Catherine Davis Photography
Have you found yourself facing something difficult, or feeling stressed or anxious, and wondered where to turn?
There are many different situations that can be challenging and overwhelming. Whether you are managing work-related issues, experiencing stress in your personal life or related to the broader culture, navigating a relationship or family conflict, or seeking guidance with another issue, outside support is beneficial. There are people who can help.
When you experience something difficult, it is important to know that you are not alone. This matters because how you respond can make all the difference. Your next steps can set you on a path to thrive in the profession, and in your life.
One NCBA member benefit, BarCARES, provides free and confidential counseling from social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and executive coaches who have experience working with lawyers, judges, and paralegals. BarCARES screens providers and matches them with legal professionals who are managing stressful professional or personal experiences, including mental health and substance use challenges.
BarCARES is a nonprofit entity funded by the NCBA and by contract fees from local judicial district bar associations and voluntary bars across the state. Annual contracts provide participating local bar association members up to three sessions of confidential care and treatment each year. The Paralegal Division of the NCBA has a BarCARES contract to cover paralegals belonging to the NCBA Paralegal Division. Voluntary bars may extend BarCARES benefits to family members of participating attorneys. In addition, an initiative funded by the North Carolina Bar Foundation allows NCBA members whose district bars do not contract with BarCARES to access up to three sessions of care, though not on a recurring annual basis.
Lawyers and paralegals serve as trusted advocates for their clients. Judges are trusted to fairly and consistently apply the law to resolve disputes. All legal professionals are more effective when they have the tools and support to navigate their own personal challenges and struggles that inevitably arise in life. In addition to bringing greater satisfaction in life and work, seeking assistance is a resilience strategy that makes them better at what they do.
In the legal field, many practitioners have encountered various challenges that impact their mental and emotional well-being. Research has shown that a high percentage of attorneys have experienced mental health concerns. Forty-six percent of attorneys have had depression at some point in their careers, and sixty-one percent of attorneys have dealt with anxiety – twice the percentages for the general population.
Although you may have numerous stressors, knowing what you can do to mitigate them can be of assistance when those situations present themselves.
Helping attorneys to navigate personal and professional difficulties is a primary aim of BarCARES. The program is managed and administered by HRC Behavioral Health & Psychiatry, PA, under the direction of Dr. Richard Hicks.
Judge Lucy Inman and Dr. Hicks have periodically presented to NCBA members a CLE titled A Most Stressful Profession: Navigating Internal and External Challenges to Succeed in the Practice of Law. Judge Inman and Dr. Hicks, as well as other BarCARES board members and clinicians, frequently meet with NCBA members and local bar associations across the state to encourage attorneys to utilize BarCARES services and to assure them that they are not alone.
Just as mental health professionals turn to lawyers for legal services, lawyers should turn to mental health professionals for help managing mental health and substance issues. And, just as most legal issues are more successfully navigated if addressed early, assessment and intervention can prevent small emotional stressors from becoming big problems.
“In other words,” Judge Inman says, “wouldn’t you rather go to the dentist to get a cavity filled than have a root canal?”
Judge Inman and Dr. Hicks speak about stress, anxiety, depression and other concerns and suggest strategies for approaching these issues. Having assistance during these times can help individuals to move forward on their path to physical, emotional and mental well-being, but often, individuals may not know how to find support. BarCARES serves to meet this need by connecting individuals with a counselor, psychiatrist, or coach. It is entirely confidential; only the HRC staff person who takes a request and the clinician paired with the client know the client’s name.
In the presentation, Judge Inman and Dr. Hicks discuss a key cultural message, the idea that if we are not happy, then something is amiss.
“This notion of happiness as the gold standard, it’s sometimes useful to let go of that and think about the things that you’re doing that are important to you or find some of those things that are important and make time for them even during the busy days of the practice of law,” said Dr. Hicks.
Judge Inman adds, “There’s also the notion that everyone else is really happy, but there’s something wrong with me because I’m not.”
In addressing some of these ideas in society about what happiness should look like, Judge Inman and Dr. Hicks suggest that attorneys avoid comparing themselves with others. Instead, recognizing those moments when one encounters stressors can help a person incorporate strategies that work best for themselves.
Creating Conversations About Mental Health
Judge Inman is candid about the various emotions attorneys may experience throughout the practice of law or in life. In the CLE, she addresses some of the emotions at play during one’s practice, and she goes on to share her own mental health journey. During her career, she’s had moments where she recognized she needed to reach out for support to manage anxiety. Her decision made a difference in her life, and she hopes that others also find the resources that they need.
When I spoke with Judge Inman about her leadership with BarCARES, she said that her personal experience is, in part, why it is meaningful for her to be involved.
“I’ve managed chronic depression and anxiety for most of my adult life. On the plus side, I think that’s why I have a strong work ethic and strive to build close friendships and set for myself high standards of performance and ethics. On the minus side, it’s more difficult for me than many people to bring confidence to my work, which is absolutely necessary for an effective advocate, counselor, or judge,” she said.
“I have gained confidence by exploring my emotional challenges and by trial and error overcoming them. I find it deeply rewarding to support other lawyers and judges who are dealing with similar challenges.
“Practicing law for 18 years before becoming a judge impressed me with the natural tension between seeking a desired result for a client and abiding by the rule of law. Honesty is the most important character trait for lawyers. It takes discipline and creativity to maintain honesty while marshaling the evidence and legal principles to achieve a specific outcome.”
In addition to leading the BarCARES board, she serves on the NCBA’s Professionalism Committee as well as the Ethics and Professionalism Committee for the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section.
Judge Inman served as Superior Court Judge from 2010 through 2014, when she was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She served on the Court of Appeals through 2022. Now, as a partner at Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, LLC, she focuses on civil appeals, dispositive motion briefing, and helping her colleagues communicate effectively with judges. She also has recently joined a panel of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association, “because I have experience in the neutral role and enjoy that work.” Outside of her legal practice, she serves on the boards of directors for the Lucy Daniels Foundation and contemporary art museum CAM Raleigh.
Judge Inman’s commitment to being forthright is something one can see in her passion for furthering mental health awareness through her leadership with BarCARES. When asked how she became involved with the program, she said that she was recruited to join the BarCARES board by a colleague at the Court of Appeals who knew of her interest in mental health awareness and treatment in the legal profession.
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She has served on the BarCARES board for nine years.
Some initiatives she has worked on during that time are: engaging law students and newly licensed attorneys, including increasing BarCARES’ participation in annual law school events, because recent studies show that young lawyers have the greatest need for support; engaging lawyers in transition, including senior lawyers; developing and presenting a CLE program about the correlation between unprofessional behavior and mental health needs of the dysfunctional lawyer as well as the impact of their behavior on other legal professionals. She credits other leaders on the BarCARES board, including Eric Richardson, vice president of the BarCARES board, and the board’s immediate past president Sean Doyle, who brings to his legal career training and experience as a clinical psychologist.
The BarCARES board has developed and presented CLE programming about managing the disruption of work routines and isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge Inman and other BarCARES board members also collaborate with another bedrock of well-being for North Carolina lawyers, the NC State Bar’s Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP). LAP provides peer counseling to all lawyers licensed to practice in North Carolina, including those who are not NCBA members. BarCARES and LAP refer requests for help to each other depending on the requesting lawyer’s NCBA affiliation and other factors.
Furthering the NCBA Mission
BarCARES provides NCBA members access to help they need to find satisfaction in their work and maintain the trust and confidence expected of them. It has been carrying out this mission for twenty-six years. The idea for the program originated when, in 1991, the North Carolina Bar Association’s Quality of Life Committee (LEQL) conducted a survey about lawyers’ perceptions of their well-being. Following the survey, a joint pilot project was created by the Quality of Life Committee and the Wake County Bar Association.
In 1999, NCBA Board of Governors approved the LEQL Committee’s proposal to implement BarCARES across the state and agreed to fund the annual administrative fees. BarCARES of North Carolina, Inc. (BCNC) was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The program is managed by a volunteer board of directors. Each board member is identified on the BarCARES webpage within the NCBA website.
Today, the program continues to promote the quality of life of legal practitioners. Because attorney well-being is one of the core values of the NCBA, and pivotal to the NCBA mission, Judge Inman is especially glad to be involved in the program.
“BarCARES advances the NCBA’s mission by helping lawyers and judges, individually and in groups, to recognize and manage pressure points, understand the connection between civility and well-being, give themselves grace, and empathize with others. These non-technical skills not only improve a professional’s performance but also improve the environment for everyone working with that professional.”
Although there are inherent pressures involved in the field of law, the program assists attorneys in the moments they need it the most so that they can more effectively move forward in their roles. As a result, it promotes values significant to the profession.
Judge Inman elaborates on why programs such as this one are especially needed: they help attorneys to live out these key values, and in turn, to thrive.
“Legal professionals who are not mentally and emotionally well are at increased risk of failing the standards of integrity, competence, and civility, and ultimately violating their duties to clients,” said Inman.
“Well-being fosters the other standards, but the adversarial nature of the legal field – whether in litigation, transactions, or government relations – is naturally stressful. The skill of managing stress and protecting one’s well-being is not taught in most law schools, and it is not a topic on the bar exam.”
Fostering A Sense of Connection
Another reason that this program is beneficial is because of the current cultural moment, a post-pandemic era in which technology – such as artificial intelligence – continues to progress, and these various changes can be overwhelming to everyone, including legal professionals.
For one thing, remote work has become more prevalent than before 2020. Some have said that working apart from others can contribute to a sense of being disconnected.
“Following the COVID shutdown, professionals in many fields, including law, have become more isolated from one another,” said Judge Inman. “Working remotely can be quite freeing and convenient, but it reduces opportunities for impromptu conversations, in-person meetings, and private discussions among colleagues. Some have even argued that this isolation has led to a loss of culture among our legal peers.”
Prioritizing relationships with others can contribute to your overall well-being, but many in the profession may need opportunities to develop those relationships. And the consequences of separateness, for some, can be detrimental, and potentially life-threatening.
“Lawyers have, for decades, eclipsed other professions in rates of suicide, overdoses, and substance disorders, and in-person peer support, one of the most common tools for protecting against those outcomes, doesn’t exist in some law firms and legal departments,” said Judge Inman.
Relationships with peers are valuable in a world where technology is changing, and attorneys may be striving to make sense of how that will impact the field and their practice.
“Ongoing disruptions in the legal profession – the fact that we refer to it as an industry instead of a profession, for example – impose new sources of stress. For example, a lawyer struggling to learn how to use artificial intelligence, or how to compete with an adversary or who is using artificial intelligence, is likely to feel irritated, anxious, even incompetent,” she said.
“The last thing the legal profession needs is for lawyers whose well-being is compromised to cede their judgment and insight to others, including bots.”
While advances in technology can require adaptability, patience, and time to learn new skills, professionals can find support in this process through their connections with others. And as Judge Inman looks ahead, it is her intention to continue fostering ties between BarCARES and NCBA communities.
One of her strategic goals for 2025 is to raise BarCARES’ profile to encourage NCBA members to take advantage of free, confidential support and to reduce the stigma of mental health treatment and substance disorder recovery in the legal community. She also aims for BarCARES to collaborate with other NCBA committees, including the Professionalism Committee, the Professional Vitality Committee, the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Committee, and the Minorities in the Profession Committee.
Also on Judge Inman’s radar is serving the needs of legal professionals in western North Carolina as they undertake the long and painful recovery from Hurricane Helene.
“BarCARES has not seen an increase in requests for services from lawyers in Western NC, as we think it will eventually,” said Judge Inman.
Accessing Your BarCARES Benefits
If you are looking for resources and support related to difficulties inside or outside the office, BarCARES is for you. After you contact BarCARES, you will be able to receive your one-time benefit of up to three free sessions with a professional. From there, you can talk with someone about what the next steps are for you given your specific situation.
To speak with someone right now, call 919.929.1227 or 1.800.640.0735.
The writer would like to thank Judge Inman, BarCARES immediate past president Sean Doyle, current vice president Eric Richardson, and program administrator Paige Barnett, who all provided information about the program and their insights in this piece.
Jessica Junqueira is communications manager for the North Carolina Bar Association.