LAP Notes

By Derek LaCroix, K.C.*

“A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving.” – Albert Einstein

Gratitude. What are we talking about? Gratitude is more than being thankful, more than appreciating someone or something, more than a feeling and more than an idea. Gratitude includes all those and more. It also includes action. It is a stance or predisposition to move in the world in an open, kind and generous way.

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines gratitude as “readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”.

The Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia (“LAPBC”) promotes and supports lawyers helping lawyers. Lawyers helping lawyers is a concept based on the idea of gratitude. Others have helped us, and in return we wish to pass that on and help yet others. The act of helping, done with gratitude, is its own reward. We help without expectation of anything from the person we are helping. In fact, the privilege of being asked to help is the reward.

Kindness is at the core of gratitude. The core idea behind lawyers helping lawyers is that we will be kind to each other, we will appreciate each other and we will show that kindness and appreciation in some real, tangible way.

* Derek LaCroix, K.C., is the executive director of the Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia.

We live in an affluent area of the world, in a peaceful place, and as lawyers we have the blessings of education and a privileged position. We have a great deal to be grateful for. Individually, we have each been helped and treated kindly at some time by someone.

I invite you to reflect on those people, those occasions and those privileges. Then ask: “How can I help someone? What kindness can I do for someone?” Try that as an experiment for a day, or two, or three. As with any experiment, examine the results.

Try another experiment. Pick a day and go to work holding at all times throughout the day the thought that you are grateful to be able to do the work, grateful for everyone you come in contact with, your staff, your clients, your partners, other lawyers and judges, and act accordingly—treat them with kindness. Again, examine the results. How are you feeling? How was work that day?

I am privileged to work and meet with people who act generously and kindly. I know our profession to be full of such people. We need to more consciously, consistently and actively act in this way. We will all be the beneficiaries as the practice of law will be more fulfilling and the health and well-being of our members will be positively affected.

I know thanks is not gratitude, but I do want to take this opportunity to thank the LAPBC board of directors, the members of the profession for the funding you provide, the Law Society for approving and collecting that funding, the Advocate for generously providing us advertising space and for printing our articles, the CBABC for their continued support, the Lawyers’ Benevolent Fund for helping us help lawyers in distress, the various county and local bar communities for inviting us to attend and for supporting us, LAPBC volunteers for being willing and available to help and share, and all of you who have so generously supported LAPBC—and all the wonderful people I get to meet and who share your lives with me. Thanks. I will endeavour to act with gratitude and show appreciation for and repay the tremendous amount shared with me.

We at LAPBC are here to help. We provide a variety of services and are strictly confidential. Our counsellors are trained counsellors who have practised law previously. You can call us at 604-685-2171 or visit our website at <www.lapbc.com>.

The Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia is an independent organization of members of the legal community (lawyers, judges families and support staff). We provide peer support and referral services to help people deal with personal problems, including alcohol and drug dependence, stress, anxiety and depression. We are volunteers and staff committed to providing confidential, compassionate and knowledgeable outreach, support and education. We seek to foster collegiality among our peers and to promote health and well-being in our community. You can reach LAPBC by telephone at 604-6852171, toll-free at 1-888-685-2171 or via the LAPBC website: <www.lapbc.com>.