President’s Page
The CBA: 150 Years Old and Still Working for the Good of Lawyers and the Community by SAM PEPPERS As I write these words, the CBA is in the midst of celebrating its 150th birthday: a truly momentous occasion for an organization that started out with five or six lawyers pondering the humble idea of making members of the Columbus bar better lawyers. The current staff and leadership of the CBA take that original charge just as seriously today.
lawyers with the stress and anxiety that sometimes comes along with the practice of law. In 2017, the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation released a study examining lawyer well-being. This national study revealed that an increasing number of lawyers and law students are experiencing chronic stress, high rates of depression and substance abuse. The study also revealed that lawyers who are in their first 10 years of practice have the highest incidence of these problems. In short, the Hazelden study tells us the problem is getting worse instead of better. To be a good lawyer, one has to be a healthy lawyer, and the CBA is dedicated to helping our members be the best lawyers they can be.
150
We are continuously thinking of and implementing innovative ways to make membership in the CBA more valuable to our members and thereby make them better lawyers who offer better legal services to our community. Through CLE programs that help members stay current in the law and by offering our members cutting-edge practice tools to help them practice in the 21st century, the CBA is still all about making members of the bar better lawyers.
years
1869-2019
It is unfortunate but in the same year of the release of the Hazelden study, I became aware COLUMBUS BAR of several local lawyers ASSOCIATION who succumbed to their mental anguish and committed suicide. Because of the unrefuted evidence that there is a growing problem in the ranks of our fellow lawyers, we have created a Task Force on Lawyer Physical When I took over the leadership of the CBA, I wanted to and Mental Well-being, chaired by Bobbie O’Keefe, to find a way to encourage local lawyers to help other local 4 | Columbus Bar L aw yers Quarterly Spring 2019