Out of Focus: Lawyers and Firms Can No Longer Ignore Dementia (The American Lawyer)
The American Lawyer, February 26, 2018
Out of Focus: Lawyers and Firms Can No Longer Ignore Dementia
“Despite the growing public awareness and advocacy to help lawyers confront addiction, depression and other mental health diseases, very few are willing to share their stories about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia….The problem also promises to get worse for the legal industry. As the baby boomers enter their 70s and attorneys live and work longer, examples have proliferated of lawyers—including prominent Big Law partners—retreating from their practices due to dementia and Alzheimer’s, though none of the lawyers or their family members contacted for this story were willing to be identified. Several chief talent officers at Am Law 200 firms also declined to discuss the issue….Eileen Travis, director of the New York City Bar Association’s Lawyer Assistance Program, says she has seen a rise in calls from lawyers trying to balance their work demands while caring for a spouse or parent who has dementia.”
