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The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession

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**All royalties to be donated to CAMH**
This groundbreaking book sets the stage for revolutionizing how mental health is perceived in the legal profession and beyond. It contains a series of candid and courageous memoirs by members of the legal profession living with mental health and addiction issues.

by Beth Beattie (Editor) , Carole Dagher (Editor) , Thomas Telfer (Editor)
Publisher: LexisNexis Canada
Publication Language: English
Book
$75.00
Quantity

All royalties to be donated to CAMH | Softcover | 176 pages

In Stock
Published: April 26, 2024
ISBN/ISSN: 9780433532101
Publisher: LexisNexis Canada

Product description

Click here for the student edition of The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession.

The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession is a groundbreaking book that sets the stage for revolutionizing how mental health is perceived in the legal profession and beyond. It contains a series of candid and courageous memoirs by members of the legal profession living with mental health and addiction issues. The authors are judges, lawyers, and law professors with wide-ranging legal practices in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario including at Bay Street and small boutique firms.

Young lawyers and senior members of the profession share their experiences of working while living with various types of challenges – depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, addiction, grief, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism.

The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession addresses the insidious nature of mental health stigma and isolation in the legal community. But it is fundamentally a book about hope. As the authors discuss their sometimes harrowing journeys, they also show routes back to meaningful engagement with colleagues and work.

To read these personal accounts is to be moved, inspired, and hopefully galvanized into action at the individual, collegial, and organizational level. This book offers practical solutions to change the culture of legal practice and beyond so as to bust apart stigma and isolation, foster people getting the support they need, and cultivate more diverse workplaces.

Contributors
David S. Goldbloom
The Honourable George R. Strathy
The Honourable Michele Hollins
Beth Beattie
Carole Dagher
Thomas Telfer
Katherine Cooligan
Orlando Da Silva
Michael R. Ferguson
Michael Herman
Aidan Johnson
Imran Kamal
Ryan Middleton
Yadesha Satheaswaran
Leslie Anne St. Amour
Dan Stein
Courtney Wilson
Leena Yousefi
Brett D.M. Jones
Shayan Imran
M. Ishrat Husain

 

Product reviews

Just What The Doctor Ordered
by Erin Durant, Founder of Durant Barristers

This book offers something for everyone: those currently experiencing a mental health crisis, those worried that a friend or colleague may be experiencing a crisis and managers of workplaces looking to prevent crisis and create a healthy environment...I would like to congratulate each of the authors who contributed to this book as well as the editors. This book will make a difference in the legal profession at the individual and organizational level.

A welcome comfort to those living with the challenges of having to deal with mental health issues
by The Hon. Clément Gascon, C.C., Ad. E.

The 18 chapters of the book bring a welcome comfort to those living with the challenges of having to deal with mental health issues. And most importantly, all the authors act upon the loud and clear message not to remain silent in situations where talking and listening are key in developing solutions for both the legal profession in general and its individual members in particular.

A long overdue conversation about the legal profession
by Kenneth J. Fredeen, General Counsel Emeritus, Deloitte

This book will be the catalyst for a long overdue conversation about the legal profession. From the pens of successful Canadian lawyers comes this book which opens the door to an honest conversation about mental health in the legal profession. It is now up to each of us to take the meaningful steps to create a better, healthier, and happier legal profession.

Mental health challenges arise in all legal work environments
by Doug Judson, President, Federation of Ontario Law Associations

Often the mental health discussion in the legal community can feel performative, or even disingenuous - something quickly packed away between lunch-and-learns after the special guests leave. The Right Not to Remain Silent shatters those assumptions by providing first-hand insights and personal accounts from members of the profession at every age, stage, and setting of practice. It reminds us that mental health challenges arise in all legal work environments. Through the courage of its authors, it destigmatizes this 'coming out' process by providing candid advice and useful tools for those struggling, regardless of where we are situated, how we identify, or what relative privilege we enjoy in our firms and workplaces.

Shows other lawyers that they are not alone
by Dean Erika Chamberlain, Faculty of Law, Western University

In courageously sharing their stories, the contributors to this volume show other lawyers that they are not alone in dealing with mental health challenges of all kinds. The Right Not to Remain Silent is an important resource for lawyers and prospective lawyers, whether they struggle personally or want to help support their colleagues. It’s also an inspiring call to action for legal educators, practitioners and regulators to make systemic and cultural changes to remove stigma and promote a healthier and more empathetic profession.

A blend of wisdom, compassion and practical strategies
by Teresa Donnelly, VP/President Elect, Federation of Law Societies of Canada

The National Study on the Health & Wellness Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada confirms that poor mental health affects thousands of legal professionals across Canada every year. At a time when the legal profession desperately needs to reduce mental health stigma, this thought-provoking book offers a blend of wisdom, compassion and practical strategies to address the mental health needs of legal professionals. This book shows that we can conquer stigma at the individual, collegial and regulatory levels. We would do well to have this book widely available at paralegal colleges, law schools, law libraries and law offices across Canada.

Featured Authors

Beth Beattie
Carole Dagher
Thomas Telfer

Beth Beattie

Called to the Bar in 1994, Beth Beattie has a broad-based health law litigation practice.

Since January 2018 Beth has been a Friend of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. Her story of working as a lawyer with bipolar disorder has been featured on television, radio, podcasts, print media and even billboards across the country. Television appearances include The Marilyn Denis Show, CTV News, CTV North News, CP24 and a CTV prime time special, “In Their Own Words”.

In 2021, 2022 and 2023 Beth co-chaired with the former Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario, Teresa Donnelly, Mental Health Summits for Legal Professionals. Each year the Summits were watched by nearly 6,000 registrants.

Beth is a founding member of Voices for Mental Health which is a group of employees at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General who have lived mental health experience or who have cared for loved ones with lived experience. Voices provides programming within the Ministry of the Attorney General and beyond on topics relating to mental health.

In 2022 Beth was awarded the Law Society Medal, the highest honour available to a lawyer in Ontario. The Medal was awarded for outstanding service within the profession in accordance with the highest ideals of the profession. She was also awarded the Ontario Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Advocate of the Year Award.

View all books by Beth Beattie (2)

Carole Dagher

Carole Dagher was born and raised in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada at the age of 13. She received her honours double major bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Law & Society from York University in 1999.

Carole graduated from Osgoode Hall Law school in 2002 and is called to both the New York and Ontario Bar. Carole started her law career practicing in the Capital Markets group at Shearman & Sterling LLP, a top tier New York law firm. She then spent 14 years in progressively senior legal roles in the financial services industry.

For over five years, Carole also served as the chair of the board of directors of the Barbra Schlifer Clinic, a not for profit dedicated to helping women live lives free from violence.

Carole has lived with mental illness for over a decade and is a vocal advocate on the topic of mental health for the CAMH Foundation and has presented on the topic to the top 100 CEOs in Canada, large organizations, law firms, LSUC and various media outlets.

In 2024 Carole was awarded the Law Society Medal, the highest honour available to a lawyer in Ontario. The Medal was awarded for outstanding service within the profession in accordance with the highest ideals of the profession.

Carole lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and two daughters and is dedicated to living her life authentically.

View all books by Carole Dagher (2)

Thomas Telfer

Dr. Thomas Telfer is a Professor in London, Ontario, Canada. He has published widely in the fields of bankruptcy and legal history. In 2023 he was admitted as a member of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law.

Professor Telfer also has an interest in mental health and mindfulness education. In 2017, he introduced a highly successful non-credit mindfulness course to first year Western Law students and the following year he received the Leadership in Wellness Award of Recognition which recognizes Western faculty members who promote the mental health of their students. In 2018, he was awarded a three-year Teaching Fellowship at Western to develop mindfulness and mental health education initiatives.

In the fall of 2019, Professor Telfer offered Mindfulness and the Legal Profession as a new upper year academic credit course at Western Law. The course has now been offered three times.

He is a frequent speaker on mindfulness and mental health and has delivered over 100 workshops. Professor Telfer has facilitated mindfulness workshops for lawyers, judges, doctors, professors and students. Professor Telfer has delivered mindfulness workshops for six Canadian universities. He has led mindfulness seminars for the Law Societies of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Legal Education Society of Alberta. Stories about his mindfulness work have appeared in Canadian Lawyer, on podcasts and on CBC Radio.

View all books by Thomas Telfer (2)

Table of contents

 Foreword – David S. Goldbloom
 
 Chapter 1: It’s Time to Change the Culture of Legal Practice – The Honourable George R. Strathy 
 
 Chapter 2: What is Happening to Me? – The Honourable Michele Hollins 
 
 Chapter 3: To Tell or Not to Tell? That is the Question: Revealing Mental Health Issues at Work – Beth Beattie
 
 Chapter 4: Reconciling the Visible and Invisible Me: My Professional Journey to Living My Authentic Self – Carole Dagher
 
 Chapter 5: Crisis? What Crisis? Encounters with the Mental Health Care System – Thomas Telfer 
 
 Chapter 6: Life Lessons Through Lawyering and Grief – Katherine Cooligan
 
 Chapter 7: Please Mom. Don’t Tell Anyone – Orlando Da Silva
 
 Chapter 8: Practising Openness Where Everyone Knows Everyone – Michael R. Ferguson
 
 Chapter 9: Depression: My Journey Through Darkness – Michael Herman
 
 Chapter 10: Un Appel d’Air: My Journey in Trauma-Informed Law So Far – Aidan Johnson
 
 Chapter 11: Lawyers Can Be Addicts Too – Imran Kamal
 
 Chapter 12: Stop Suffering in Silence—Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness – Ryan Middleton
 
 Chapter 13: Scratching the Surface of OCD: The Realities of Living with Skin-Picking Disorder – Yadesha Satheaswaran
 
 Chapter 14: I’m Really Glad You’re Still Here – Leslie Anne St. Amour
 
 Chapter 15: More Than a Lawyer – Dan Stein
 
 Chapter 16: Eating Disorders and The Legal Profession: Harsh Realities and Complexities – Courtney Wilson
 
 Chapter 17: Not Good Enough – Leena Yousefi
 
 Chapter 18: Emerging Treatments for Depression – Brett D.M. Jones, Shayan Imran & M. Ishrat Husain
 
 Appendix: Canadian Mental Health Resources for the Legal Profession
 

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