Events
Webinar: Alcohol, Health, and Attorney Wellness: Navigating Risks and Professional Responsibility
April 28 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Presented by the CLA Health and Wellness Committee. Co-sponsored by the State Bar of California Lawyer Assistance Program. 1 Hour MCLE; 1 Wellness Competence
This program focuses on addressing the professional, personal, and health implications of alcohol use, while fulfilling 1.0 hour of Wellness competence MCLE subfield credit. The session will include a review of critical findings from the January 2025 Alcohol and Cancer Risk, The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on alcohol consumption and its link to increased cancer risks and put those findings in the broader context of the health effects of alcohol use.
The program is divided into three key sections:
- Professional Responsibility and Conduct: Explore the intersection between the Surgeon General’s findings and the ethical obligations outlined in the Rules of Professional Conduct, emphasizing attorneys’ duty to maintain wellness and fitness to practice. (5 mins.)
- Medical Insights into the Health Effects of Alcohol: Dr. Julio Meza, a leading Addiction and Family Medicine Physician at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a Psychiatry in Primary Care
Certified Physician at UC Irvine, will interpret the Surgeon General’s findings, offering actionable insights on cancer prevention and other risks associated with alcohol consumption. (30 mins.) - The Personal Toll of Alcoholism: Lee Mendelson, a seasoned California mediator and arbitrator, will discuss the broader impacts of alcoholism on financial stability, career progression, and personal relationships, including addressing the culture of alcohol in the legal community and how to diminish its impact. (20 mins.)
The program will conclude with a discussion of resources available to California legal professionals for addressing alcohol-related challenges, promoting attorney wellness, and ensuring adherence to professional responsibilities. (5 Mins.)
Non-Member Price $35.00
Member Price $25.00
Lee M. Mendelson has over twenty-five years of experience as a seasoned litigator and has been trained as a mediator at Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation as well as Pepperdine University Law School’s Institute for Dispute Resolution. He is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and is licensed to practice in California, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia.
Dr. Julio Meza is an Addiction and Family Medicine Physician at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a Psychiatry in Primary Care Certified Physician at UC Irvine. He was born and raised in El Salvador. He graduated Cum Laude from Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador. After graduating from medical school, he was accepted into a surgical residency and completed an internship at the Hospital Militar Central in El Salvador. He left El Salvador to pursue his dream of becoming a U.S. licensed family physician. While in Los Angeles, Dr. Meza worked as a medical assistant instructor and program director, training students to work in the areas of San Fernando, North Hollywood and Los Angeles then joined UCLA and completed his residency in Family Medicine and also Fellowship in Addiction Medicine. Dr. Meza enjoys working with patients from all backgrounds and provides non judgmental compassionate care.
Ken Nourse is a Senior Program Analyst in the Office of Professional Competence of the State Bar of California. In that capacity, Ken leverages his background in legal practice, law-related roles, and higher education to serve the public and profession by supporting attorneys, bar applicants, and law students through his work for the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP). Prior to joining the State Bar, Ken served as Director, Student and Career Services at McGeorge School of Law (Sacramento), where he continues to help law students launch their professional careers as an Externships adjunct professor. He is also a Barrister member of the Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court (Sacramento). Ken received his B.A. in Political Science from McGill University (Montreal) and his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law (Boston). He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Maine.
We are committed to accessibility! Virtual events are equipped with closed captioning. To request an in-person accommodation, send us a note at accessibility@calawyers.org or contact us at 916-516-1760 for assistance.