Mental Health

Defense lawyer who didn’t probe death-row client’s bad childhood was deficient, SCOTUS says

A defense lawyer who failed to investigate his capital client’s tumultuous childhood provided ineffective assistance of counsel, the U.S. Supreme Court held Monday.

Jun 15, 2020 3:55 PM CDT

Does disabilities law prohibit mental health bias in bar admissions? Law grad seeks cert

A law grad undergoing mental health treatment is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether Illinois officials discriminated against him under the Americans with Disabilities Act when they refused to admit him to the bar.

Jun 9, 2020 12:13 PM CDT

Lawyers, addiction and COVID-19: ‘Changing the landscape for everyone’

Human beings are hardwired for interaction. We are, by definition, touchy-feely types of people. Without supportive human interaction, we tend to go insane. Numerous studies of inmates subjected to long-term solitary confinement and prisoner-of-war isolation indicate that people who isolate themselves eventually become depressed and often turn to substance relief.

Jun 4, 2020 12:02 PM CDT

Millions have been invested in the emerging field of neurolaw. Where is it leading?

How do courts determine a person’s mental state and apply that in deciding guilt or innocence? How do judges and juries weigh evidence related to brain functioning? And what do lawyers and judges need to know to effectively evaluate such questions?

Jun 1, 2020 12:05 AM CDT

Lawyers are supposed to plan for the worst, so how can you ease COVID-19 anxiety?

Are you someone who rarely, if ever, calls friends just to catch up? If you prefer texting to spontaneous small talk, you might want to rethink things—especially now.

Mar 18, 2020 1:14 PM CDT

Federal judge orders mental health review of Guantanamo Bay prisoner

A federal judge has ordered a panel of American and foreign doctors to evaluate the mental health of a prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, the first time such a mixed medical commission has been used.

Mar 9, 2020 2:03 PM CDT

New York removes mental health question from state bar application

Bar applicants in New York will no longer have to answer questions about mental health conditions or treatment history as a result of action by the state’s court system.

Feb 28, 2020 1:07 PM CST

6-year-old is held without mother’s consent under involuntary commitment law

A Florida mother says her 6-year-old daughter is traumatized after she was held without consent at a mental health facility following a temper tantrum at her school.

Feb 18, 2020 12:45 PM CST

Netflix docuseries on former NFL player Aaron Hernandez misses opportunity to separate from the pack

Oklahoma lawyer Adam Banner dissects Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. “The documentary series is definitely worth watching for those fans of the genre who are more interested in the sensational nature of high-profile cases,” he writes.

Feb 18, 2020 9:23 AM CST

When caring costs you: Lawyers can experience vicarious trauma from work

One thing they don’t teach in law school is how to cope with trauma associated with legal work. One such unintended consequence is vicarious trauma. In my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, I meet a lot of clients who are in deep distress. Often, clients end up in my office…

Feb 1, 2020 1:15 AM CST

Poll: Which ABA Journal magazine cover from 2019 was your favorite?

We’ve covered a wide array of diverse, in-depth and hard-hitting legal topics this past year at the ABA Journal. Most recently, we ran a feature story about lawyers who are unleashing a flurry of lawsuits to step up the fight against climate change, and then all the way back to…

Dec 23, 2019 10:20 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge says state violated ADA; Notorious B.I.G.’s sampling is fair use, court says

Mississippi violated ADA in its treatment of people with mental illness, judge says U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled this week that Mississippi’s failure to provide community-based mental health care violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reeves will appoint a special master to oversee changes. He ruled in a suit…

Sep 5, 2019 4:49 PM CDT

Cases on BigLaw partner’s suicide, school’s trans bathroom policy turned down by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has left intact a federal appeals court ruling against the widow of a Reed Smith partner who blamed antidepressant labeling for her husband’s suicide. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago had overturned a $3 million award to Wendy Dolin, who alleged that GlaxoSmithKline…

May 28, 2019 1:16 PM CDT

In this state, almost all juveniles in detention facilities have at least 1 psychiatric diagnosis

In many school districts in New Mexico, juveniles with disabilities are disproportionately referred to police, according to an analysis of federal data by an investigative reporting group. At least 29 of the 44 school districts that referred students to police during the 2015-16 school year disproportionately referred students with disabilities,…

May 14, 2019 1:55 PM CDT

Lawyer faces contempt charges for alleged failure to show up for client hearings

A DUI lawyer in Virginia says he plans to reduce his caseload after he was accused of contempt of court for missing client hearings and failing to produce a client’s driving record. Blacksburg lawyer Jonathan P. Fisher, 42, told the Roanoke Times that the scheduling problems led him to reach…

May 14, 2019 12:06 PM CDT