Opinion ID: 1907643
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Relationship between Mental-Health or Substance-Abuse Treatment and the Ability to Practice Law

Text: Research has failed to establish that a history of previous psychiatric treatment can be correlated with an individual's capacity to function effectively in the workplace. Report at 10. According to the report, there is no empirical evidence demonstrating that lawyers who have had psychiatric treatment have a greater incidence of subsequent disciplinary action by the bar or by any other regulatory body in comparison with those who have not had such treatment. Id. Moreover, most disciplinary problems and grievance issues arise after an attorney has been in practice for a number of years, and in nearly all such cases no indicators of future difficulty manifested themselves at the time of original licensure. Id. at 11. Finally, the initial screening in most bar-examining committees is performed by lay individuals with no mental-health training. As the master noted, even mental-health practitioners would experience difficulty in predicting with accuracy the future threat posed during a lifetime of practicing law, and she reported that almost half of all Americans who seek mental-health treatment do not have a diagnosable mental health problem. Id. at 9 (citing W.E. Narrow et al., Use of Services by Persons with Mental and Addictive Disorders, 50 Archives of Gen. Psychiatry 95 (1993)). A study at the University of Maryland School of Law revealed that a large number of its students seek psychological counseling during their time in law school. Report at 9. Although [a] few students questioned the implications for their bar application or for employment    they were usually reassured when they learned that these services were confidential and could not be reported to professional authorities. Id. (quoting F. Dickerson, Psychological Counseling for Law Students, One Law School's Experience, 37 J. Legal Ed. 82, 89-90 (1987)). In a survey of approximately 10 percent of American law school students, 41 percent responded that if they suffered from a substance-abuse problem, they would seek assistance from a law school or university substance-abuse program if they were assured that bar officials would not have access to the information. Report at 9-10 (citing Report of the AALS Special Committee on Problems of Substance Abuse in the Law School, 44 J. Legal Ed. 35, 55 (1994)). Thus, one could conclude that the inclusion of questions such as No. 26 and No. 29 may actually prevent a person in need of treatment from seeking assistance. Report at 10. It is significant that the master pointed out that because the practice of law is a stressful profession, inquiries such as question Nos. 26 and 29 may discourage future bar applicants from taking advantage of opportunities to learn coping strategies for stress before being admitted to the bar. Report at 11. Although drug addiction constitutes an impairment under the ADA, a public entity may deny licensing in most cases if an addict is engaged in the current and illegal use of drugs. Report at 3. Current use is defined as the illegal use of controlled substances that has occurred recently enough to justify a reasonable belief that a person's drug use is current or that continuing use constitutes a real and ongoing problem. Id. at 11. We concur with the master's conclusion that to the extent that a question inquires into the current and illegal use of drugs, the ADA is not violated. Report at 6. Thus, we deem it appropriate that the bar application inquire whether an individual is engaged in the current use of illegal drugs, as in question No. 27 on the application.