The Addicted Lawyer: Where We Are, Where We Are Headed
Most lawyers know someone in the legal profession whose career was either lost or significantly harmed due to addiction. Substance use disorders in the legal profession have always been higher than the societal norm. But the associated shame and fear of judgment can inhibit a lawyer from disclosing these issues until there are both physical and employment consequences.
In this talk, attorney Brian Cuban will discuss his experiences with addiction and mental health issues starting in law school and continuing as a practicing attorney. Brian will also discuss his recovery and why attorneys should care about the high rates of mental health and substance use in the legal profession, not only from an empathetic perspective but also from a business perspective.
Making well-being a priority is an investment with a strong rate of return.
Speaker Bio
Brian Cuban, the younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, is a Dallas-based attorney, author, and addiction recovery advocate. He is a graduate of Penn State University and The University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Brian has been in long-term recovery from alcohol, cocaine, and bulimia since April of 2007.
His first book, “Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder,” chronicles his first-hand experiences living with, and recovering from, twenty-seven years of eating disorders, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Brian’s most recent, best-selling book, “The Addicted Lawyer, Tales of The Bar, Booze, Blow, & Redemption,” is an unflinching look back at how addiction and other mental health issues destroyed his career as a once-successful lawyer and how he and others in the profession redefined their lives in recovery and found redemption.
Brian has spoken at colleges, universities, conferences, non-profit and legal events across the United States and in Canada. Brian has appeared on prestigious talk shows such as the Katie Couric Show as well as numerous media outlets around the country. He also writes extensively on these subjects. His columns have appeared and he has been quoted on these topics on CNN.com, Foxnews.com, The Huffington Post, Above The Law, The New York Times, and in online and print newspapers around the world.