Georgia Lawyer Takes Life At Georgia State Bar Building

This is the kind of story that keeps an executive director of a state bar up all night -- the executive director and the president of the State Bar of Georgia were meeting at the State Bar building last month to discuss the president's ideas for a new initiative to address lawyer suicide at the same time as a bar member was taking his own life in the State Bar's parking structure. Georgia has been plagued by lawyer suicides recently -- at least three Georgia lawyers who committed suicide in the last nine months -- but their situation is not all that unusual. It's been estimated that the suicide death rate of lawyers is six times higher than that of the general population. The State Bar of Michigan offers resources to help deal with depression and mental health issues through its well-respected Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program, but we are always looking for effective new programs and better ways to help. We'll be keeping an eye on Georgia.