VJLAP - Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program

10/16/2025

VJLAP, the Virginia Lawyers' Wellness Initiative and the Virginia State Bar enjoyed talking about imposter syndrome and the impact it can have on professional conduct to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association.

We appreciated the thoughtful questions and commitment to well-being. If every lawyer invited us to share these conversations within their firms and bar associations, imagine the meaningful change we could create together.

Reach out if you'd like for us to present a Virginia CLE or presentation.

10/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day and also Law Student Mental Health Day.

We were grateful to spend the day at Regent Law School. The faculty, staff and students’ openness, insight, and commitment to well-being is truly inspiring. 💙Breaking stigma, building resilience, and supporting one another makes our profession stronger.

10/10/2025

Reminder for Federal Attorneys!
The D.C. Bar LAP, MSBA LAP, and VJLAP continue to offer a free, confidential support group designed to help you:
✔ Strengthen resilience
✔ Set and achieve meaningful goals
✔ Connect with peers who truly understand

🗓 Upcoming Sessions (all at 1:00 PM ET):
🤩 October 14, 2025
🤩 November 4, 2025
🤩 December 9, 2025

👉 Register here: really make a difference. Not that we aren’t happy to do programming too.

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If you’re unable to join the group, please remember that state Lawyer Assistance Programs are always available. Don’t hesitate to reach out for confidential, complimentary support.

10/08/2025

Take care of your CLEs and yourself! Register for the VJLAP 40th Anniversary CLE Symposium on Saturday, October 18.

Register Here – https://vjlap.org/event/vjlap-40th-anniversary-cle-symposium/

10/08/2025

Lawyer well-being starts at the top. In the October edition of the VSB's Virginia Lawyer magazine, Hetal Challa, Wellness Coordinator for the Supreme Court of Virginia, and VJLAP's Assistant Director and Education and Outreach Manager, Charlene Reilly, share how leaders can help shift culture and foster a healthier, more sustainable legal profession. Read the wellness column here: https://virginialawyer.vsb.org/october-2025/page-40

As the article emphasizes, well-being should be a key part of professional development. VJLAP and the Virginia Lawyers’ Wellness Initiative provide complimentary Virginia CLEs and presentations on a variety of well-being topics. Please reach out if you are interested.

Wellness From the Top Down: Elevating Lawyer Well-Being Through Leadership by Hetal Challa and Charlene Reilly It’s no secret that practicing law is stressful. Numerous studies have doc-umented the elevated rates of anxiety, depression, burnout, substance use, and other well-being challenges in th...

10/05/2025

Thank you to the Virginia Mountain/Valley Lawyers’ Alliance for inviting VJLAP and the Virginia Lawyers’ Wellness Initiative to present at the VMVLA 2025 Annual Meeting.

We are especially grateful to the attendees for their openness, vulnerability, and thoughtful discussion. Together, we can normalize these conversations and help build a healthier, more sustainable legal profession.

If you would like VJLAP to provide a complimentary Virginia CLE, presentation, or an informational session for your organization to learn more about the confidential support we offer, please reach out—we’d love to connect.

09/26/2025

VJLAP is thrilled to celebrate our 40th Anniversary next month with a weekend of connection and celebration!

✨ Friday, October 17 – Anniversary Dinner featuring keynote speaker Justice William Mims
✨ Saturday, October 18 – A full day of Virginia CLEs (7.0 hours of credit) at our CLE Symposium

⏰ If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the Anniversary Dinner yet, there’s still time—but don’t wait! Please purchase tickets by October 3.

Purchase dinner tickets: https://vjlap.org/event/40th-anniversary-black-t/

Register for the CLE Symposium: https://vjlap.org/event/vjlap-40th-anniversary-cle-symposium/

Don’t miss this milestone event and unforgettable weekend celebrating 40 years of supporting Virginia’s legal community.

09/22/2025

VJLAP was thrilled to help host and participate in the ABA’s 2025 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) last week in Portsmouth, Virginia. The conference featured many insightful presentations, but a true highlight was Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas Mann’s opening remarks. Justice Mann spoke about the importance of kindness, not only to others but also to ourselves. His message about the “butterfly effect” of kindness underscored how even small acts can create powerful ripple effects and lead to meaningful, lasting change. VJLAP is deeply grateful for leaders like Justice Mann who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk alongside us every day, leading by example and championing the cause to ensure all attorneys, judges, law students and other legal professionals are healthy and happy.

A heartfelt thank you to the ABA; Amy Phillips, Chair of the 2025 National Conference on Lawyer Assistance Programs and Assistant Director of the Colorado Lawyer Assistance Program; Tashiana Williams; the planning committee; sponsors, and exhibitors; all of the other state assistance programs and outstanding speakers—including VJLAP volunteer Jessica Blaemire and other friends of VJLAP, Tommy Bishop, Sarah Weingast, and Nancy Reynolds for contributing to such a meaningful and impactful conference. It truly takes a village.

09/19/2025

VJLAP had a great time presenting “Redefining Competence and Embracing Confidence to Overcome Imposterism” at the Virginia State Bar's Solo & Small Practitioner’s Forum and the VWAA Biennial Conference today.

We’re always grateful for the chance to connect with attorneys about the importance of well-being in the legal profession and to share the resources VJLAP provides. Reach out today to learn more!

09/15/2025

Our friends at the DC Lawyer Assistance Program are hosting several excellent programs this fall—timely conversations designed to support the well-being of the legal profession.

📌 Upcoming Programs:

1️⃣ An Honest Conversation about Navigating Neurodivergence in the Workplace
📅 September 20 at 2:00 PM
🔗 Register here - https://dcbar.zoom.us/meeting/register/EuxifhhgSgSYKHQw6kok5Q #/registration

2️⃣ All You Ever Wanted to Know about the D.C. Bar Application C&F Questions
📅 October 9 at 6:00 PM
🔗 Register here - https://dcbar.zoom.us/meeting/register/z2cffKYcQxmcPobS-Xn69g #/registration

3️⃣ Su***de Awareness and Prevention: An Honest Conversation
📅 November 13 at 2:00 PM
🔗 Register here - https://dcbar.inreachce.com/Details/Information/161a4cb2-2221-4558-bf2f-794ccb7db73a

These programs are open opportunities to learn, reflect, and strengthen our legal community. We encourage you to attend and share with your networks.

09/12/2025

VJLAP is committed to supporting judges, lawyers, law students, other legal professionals, and their immediate family members. We assist with a wide range of concerns—chronic stress, gambling and other processing issues, to substance use and much more. The type of support varies: for some, it’s an assessment or evaluation; for others, peer support, a referral, or ongoing monitoring.

We often hear: “I didn’t know VJLAP did that.”

One simple but powerful way you can help the legal profession is by promoting VJLAP. Encourage your colleagues, friends, and professional networks to follow us here.

By growing our reach, we can better educate the profession, break down stigma, raise awareness about the importance of well-being, and ensure that confidential, complimentary support is available for those who need it. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger legal community.

09/12/2025

VJLAP enjoyed exhibiting and presenting at Virginia CLE’s 34th Annual Advanced Elder Law Update Seminar in Richmond this week! We are always grateful for the opportunity to connect with attorneys about the importance of well-being in the legal profession and to share the resources VJLAP provides.

VJLAP offers complimentary Virginia CLEs and presentations to law firms, bar associations, and other organizations across the Commonwealth. Our one-hour CLEs cover a wide range of topics—including managing chronic stress, navigating imposter syndrome, recognizing trauma, and more.

We also provide informational sessions so you and your organization can get to know VJLAP better and learn more about the complimentary, confidential support we offer. Please reach out today, to learn more!